Alec Baldwin announces settlement with "Rust" shooting victim Halyna Hutchins' family; filming to resume
Actor Alec Baldwin and the husband of the woman he fatally shot on the set of the Western film "Rust" last year announced an agreement Wednesday to settle one of the civil cases stemming from the shooting. The husband of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins said the settlement in his wrongful death lawsuit was subject to court approval.
In a statement from his attorney, Matthew Hutchins also said he would be named an executive producer of the film, which would resume filming in January "with all the original principal players on board."
"All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident," Hutchins said. "I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."
Baldwin was holding a Colt gun during a rehearsal for the Western being filmed in New Mexico last October when it discharged a live round, killing the 42-year-old Hutchins.
Investigators in New Mexico have not filed criminal charges over the tragedy but have refused to rule them out against anyone involved, including Baldwin. Prosecutors said Wednesday a criminal investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
"If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law then charges will be brought," Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, said in a statement. "No one is above the law."
The state has granted funds to pay for possible criminal prosecutions.
In an Instagram post, Baldwin called the settlement a "resolution of this tragic and painful situation."
"Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son," Baldwin said in the post.
"Rust" director Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting, said he would devote his work on the film going forward "to honoring Halyna's legacy and making her proud."
"Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started," he said in a statement Wednesday.
The family's lawsuit was one of a series of civil proceedings over the fatal shooting, which sent shockwaves through Hollywood, and led to calls for guns to be permanently banned from sets.
At least four other lawsuits brought by crew members remain. Baldwin is also a defendant in an unrelated defamation lawsuit brought by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.