Halyna Hutchins' family lawyer has accused actor Alec Baldwin of shifting blame for the cinematographer's death onto others - despite holding the gun himself, People reports.
On October 21, 2021, 42-year-old Hutchins was fatally shot on the New Mexico set of the Western movie Rust. Baldwin held the gun that shot both her and director Joel Souza, who survived his injuries.
Leading man Baldwin, 63, insists that he neither pulled the trigger nor knew that the firearm contained live rounds. He claimed that he does not feel personally guilty about Hutchins' tragic death in an emotional ABC News interview in December.
Now Brian Panish - an attorney for Hutchins' family - has hit out at the actor during an appearance on NewsNation's Dan Abrams Live on Tuesday, saying that Baldwin "caused a death that was reckless and never needed to happen."
He went on: "Alec Baldwin is continuing to do what he's done throughout this — he's blaming others. He's not accepting any responsibility. He lays off fault on others when, in fact, but for him shooting the gun, Halyna is still here today.
"Baldwin, again, is in complete denial, accepting no responsibility, and we look forward to letting the folks, the community in Santa Fe County determine his responsibility."
Per People, Baldwin's attorney issued a statement in response, saying "any claim that Alec was reckless is entirely false."
"He, Halyna, and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a 'cold gun' — meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise," the statement continued.
It went on to argue that "this protocol has worked on thousands of films, with millions of discharges, as there has never before been an incident on a set where an actual bullet harmed anyone.
Actors should be able to rely on armorers and prop department professionals, as well as assistant directors, rather than deciding on their own when a gun is safe to use."
Hutchins is survived by her husband Matthew and their son Andros. Matthew is due to give his first sit-down interview since the tragic event with Today's Hoda Kotb later this week on February 24.