Gaffer On ‘Rust’ Blames Tragedy On “Negligence And Unprofessionalism”

The chief electrician for Rust has blamed the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on “negligence and unprofessionalism”.

Hutchins died during a rehearsal, after the film’s star, Alec Baldwin, accidentally discharged a live round from a prop gun. The gun was declared “cold” by the assistant director, Dave Halls, meaning it was safe and unloaded.

Rookie armourer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, had been in charge of firearms on the Rust set. The production reportedly marked only her second time filling the position, after working on Nicolas Cage‘s The Old Way.

Now in a post to Facebook, chief electrician, Serge Svetnoy, has spoken out about the tragic incident. Calling Hutchins his friend, he blamed her death on “negligence and unprofessional”. Though he didn’t mention Gutierrez by name, he made particular reference to “the department that was responsible for the weapons”.

“It’s the fault of negligence and unprofessionalism,” said Svetnoy. “The negligence from the person who was supposed to check the weapon on the site did not do this; the person who had to announce that the loaded gun was on the site did not do this; the person who should have checked this weapon before bringing it on the set did not do it.”

“I’m sure that we had the professionals in every department, but one – the department that was responsible for the weapons. There is no way a twenty-four-year-old woman can be professional with armory,” he stated.

“To save a dime sometimes, you hire people who are not fully qualified for the complicated and dangerous job, and you risk the lives of the other people who are close and your lives as well,” he added.

“I understand that you always fight for the budget, but you cannot allow this to happen.”

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