On October 21, 2021, Halyna Hutchins, a promising cinematographer who had worked on feature films, shorts, and TV series, was on the set of the movie Rust. The movie was to star Alec Baldwin and would have been a prestigious addition to Halyna’s resume. The scene she was setting up that day involved Baldwin holding a gun, but she had no reason to be concerned for her personal safety. Halyna must have trusted Baldwin, the executive producer, to have safety precautions in place that would ensure no one could suffer an accidental gunshot wound. Halyna’s trust was misplaced. Baldwin demonstrated a complete disregard for the most basic rules of gun safety. His careless handling of the gun in his hand cost Halyna her life when he fired it right at her.

In the wake of Halyna’s death, Baldwin claimed he didn’t pull the trigger, a claim that the FBI refuted in a report that states the gun could not go off without the trigger being pulled. Halyna’s widower, Matt Hutchins, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin. The actor responded by saying he was not financially responsible for Halyna’s death.

Image: Alec Baldwin. YouTube screen grab.

Baldwin has now reached a financial settlement with Halyna’s family. He is so confident he will not be criminally charged that he plans to resume filming Rust. Halyna’s widower, Matt Hutchins, seems to have gotten over his anger at Baldwin’s denial of guilt. Hutchins will now be the executive producer for the production.

Both men seem content to label Halyna’s death a tragic accident, although Baldwin has said that the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and the assistant director, Dave Halls, should never work in films again. Apparently. a tragic accident that cost a life should end a person’s career unless it’s the person who was actually holding the gun and pulling the trigger.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story of forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible.