Alec Baldwin reaches civil settlement with family of Rust shooting victim

Nearly a year since Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals for Rust, the actor and Hutchins’ estate have reached a civil settlement.

Last October, during rehearsals for Western film Rust in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, Baldwin accidentally fired a prop gun, discharging a live round. The incident left 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and doubly wounded the director on set.

Hutchins’ family filed a lawsuit in February against Baldwin and others involved in the making of the film with accusations of reckless behaviour. The family believed that cost-cutting measures in production led to the incident.

However, Baldwin claimed he was told the gun was safe and did not intentionally pull the trigger. After the incident, the actor, who doubled as a producer on the film, told ABC News, “Well, the trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never.”

After eight months, the Hutchins family and Baldwin have reached a civil settlement. Baldwin shared the news on Instagram earlier today, writing, “We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son.”

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Despite the tragedy, production on Rust will continue next January as Hutchins’ husband Matthew takes over the role of executive producer.

The victim’s husband shared in a statement, “I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame. All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident."

The now-executive producer also confirmed that all original cast members and staff will return to the set.

Director Joel Souza, who was also injured during the accident, spoke about the incident and future filming plans, stating, “Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started.”

The on-set tragedy has led to a call for banning guns permanently from film sets as the family’s lawsuit played out. Olivia Wilde, director of the recently released Don’t Worry Darling, called on Hollywood last October to implement “Halyna’s Law,” with a petition urging Baldwin to further the cause. The petition demanded a ban on the use of real firearms on set and received more than 27,000 signatures within the span of a few days and brought about legal action from California state senator Dave Cortese.

Terms of the civil settlement have not been released publically. However, any civil settlement does not prevent prosecutors from further filing criminal charges against those responsible for Hutchins’ death following a full investigation.