US4 min(s) read
Published 11:23 25 Oct 2021 GMT
The father of Halyna Hutchins has said that he does not hold Alec Baldwin responsible for the death of his daughter.
The 42-year-old cinematographer was accidentally killed on October 21 after Baldwin fired a Colt revolver that had been loaded with live ammunition — unbeknownst to him.
The incident, which took place on the set of the film Rust, also resulted in the director being injured.
Speaking to The Sun on October 24, Hutchins' father, Anatoly Androsovych, stated: "We still can't believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief. But I don't hold Alec Baldwin responsible – it is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns."
Androsovych, who is now trying to secure visas for the family so that they can travel to America to support their son-in-law and nine-year-old grandson, added that the young child is experiencing difficulty after losing his mother.
"[He] has been very badly affected – he is lost without his mother," he added.
Halyna's dad added that Baldwin had been in contact with his late daughter's husband, Matthew - detailing: "Matt will decide if legal action is going to be taken."
This comes after Hutchins' sister, Svetlana Androsovych, slammed the "negligence" on the set of Rust.
"How was this negligence allowed by such a team of professionals? This is just such an absolutely absurd coincidence," she said. "I don’t know where the investigation will lead, but there are so many guesses. Could this all be a set-up? What was it?
"It’s so hard to say. God only knows what happened, it’s just so incredibly hard to live through it. The only thing we want right now is to be there with my mum next to Halyna’s husband and their son to make sure he feels our support."
As reported in the LA Times and New York Post, several of Rust's crew members have claimed that there were concerns over safety and working conditions.
One told the LA Times that "there was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set," while another told the New York Post that a number of union crew members staged a walkout to protest working conditions.
Non-union workers were then brought in around the time the incident occurred. "Corners were being cut – and they brought in non-union people so they could continue shooting," the crew member alleged.
Hutchins' husband, Matthew, took to Twitter to pay tribute to his wife on Friday, October 22.
"Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words," he wrote.
"Our loss is enormous, and we ask that the media please respect my family’s privacy as we process our grief. We thank everyone for sharing images and stories of her life."
Baldwin took to Twitter to issue a statement on October 22, saying that his "heart is broken".
"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours," the actor wrote.
"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
