Dump Of ‘Rust’ Fatal Shooting Probe Files Finds Police Castigated By Halyna Hutchins’ Estate

deadline.com:

The release by police this week of footage of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dying on set last year after being fatal shot by Alec Baldwin has lawyers for the Hutchins family fuming.“We demand that your office respect Matthew, Halyna, and Andros Hutchins’ constitutional rights of dignity, privacy, respect, and fairness going forward,” said attorney Brian Panish in a scathing letter sent yesterday to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. “We also demand that your office take down the video footage of Halyna Hutchins dying on the church floor,” the LA-based lawyer adds.“While the damage of publishing that video is irreparable, taking down the video will end your office’s complicity in causing further harm.” Panish went on to say of the April 25 information release in his letter, which Deadline obtained from a source familiar with the matter.The Santa Fe Sheriff’s office did not respond to request for comment on the two-page correspondence from the Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP partner.Sheriff Mendoza told Good Morning America this week his office was reacting to “a public records request,” when they earlier this week released a bevy of files, videos, cell phone communications, interviews, court documents and more related to its investigation of the killing of Hutchins and the injuring of Rust director Joel Souez on October 21, 2021 in the church location at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe.As the Hutchins estate pursues a February 15 filed wrongful death suit against Baldwin, other Rust producers and crew members, the off-loading of the material from the still on-going probe surprised many.