The mother of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot dead by actor Alec Baldwin, has accused the Hollywood star of trying to “profit” from her daughter’s tragic death.
Hutchins was killed by Baldwin in 2021 on the set of his movie “Rust.”
Baldwin, who was the producer and the star of the film, pointed a loaded gun at Hutchins and pulled the trigger, killing the young mother and injuring director Joel Souza.
Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, declined an invitation to the Western movie’s premiere on Wednesday.
“Rust” is premiering at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in Torun, Poland.
It comes three years after Hutchins was shot and killed.
The fatal shooting made headlines around the world, which some argue has generated priceless free publicity for the film.
Solovey released a statement saying she sees the film’s release as an opportunity for Baldwin to “unjustly profit” from her daughter’s death, the Associated Press reported.
In her statement, Solovey said:
“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen.
“Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter,” the statement continued.
“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.
“Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.
“That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter,” Solovey said.
An involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin for the fatal shooting was dismissed by a New Mexico judge earlier this year.
The 66-year-old actor currently has multiple civil lawsuits pending, including one by Solovey.
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Gutierrez-Reed received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail.
Baldwin has maintained all along that he was not responsible for the shooting death.
In December 2021, Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in an interview on ABC News that “I didn’t pull the trigger” when he killed Hutchins.
However, investigators determined that the gun could not have fired without the trigger being pulled.
Baldwin further denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death.
“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos.
“I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.”
