Weapons & Guns

Alec Baldwin is now a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Halyna Hutchins.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for the family list what they say are the lapses in safety on the "Rust" set ... lapses they claim led to the cinematographer's death.

Among the alleged lapses ... live ammo on the movie set. The suit also claims other shortcomings ... the crew failed to treat the gun as if it were loaded.

As for Baldwin, the suit claims he was only 4 feet from members of the crew and reached across his body and used his right hand to grab the revolver holstered on his left side, drew the revolver with a cross draw movement and aimed it directly at Hutchins while drawing back the hammer.

The suit claims, "He released the revolver's hammer, and -- BAM -- defendant Baldwin fired the revolver." Baldwin said in an interview he did not pull the trigger, but at a news conference Tuesday the Hutchins' lawyer said "I think it's clear what happened. Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it -- Halyna was killed. The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back."

The suit says Baldwin never checked the gun himself for ammo before using it.

The suit also talks about cost-cutting measures and, a few days before Hutchins' death, a local camera operator made safety complaints to the producers that there had been 3 unsafe weapons discharges and the set was "super unsafe."

The unit production manager responded "with callous sarcasm," according to the lawsuit, saying the accidental discharges were "awesome" and "sound[ed] good."

Among the cost-cutting measures ... the hiring of inexperienced armorers, requiring the armorer to split time as an assistant props master, establishing and aggressively adhering to unreasonably rushed production schedules.

In addition to Baldwin, the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the assistant director, David Halls, are being sued, among many others ... including various production companies. The company that provided the ammunition is also a defendant.

The suit, filed by Hutchins' husband and son, asks for unspecified damages, including punitive damages. They're repped by L.A.-based Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi LLP.

While Baldwin himself has denied culpability -- pointing the finger elsewhere -- Hutchins' family had been slow to indicate who they think is actually responsible, until now.

Others have been much more willing to assign blame early in the process ... including a "Rust" gaffer, Serge Svetnoy, who sued AB, the armorer and others for what he called a reckless and negligent display of movie-making.

As you know, there have been different accounts of what exactly went down. Everyone agrees they were in the middle of setting up a shot, with Halyna and director Joel Souza framing up Alec for what was going to be a scene featuring the gun.

Svetnoy claims Alec had no business aiming the gun at Halyna and Joel -- but Alec himself argues differently, saying he was simply following their instructions ... and didn't even pull the trigger. He says when he let go of the cocked hammer ... the pistol fired unexpectedly.

He also says he never knew there was live ammo in the chamber, which has become a huge issue for investigators -- namely, how the hell did real bullets make it onto the film set???

Baldwin's hinted he feels head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls should bear responsibility for the fatal accident. Meanwhile, Hannah's pointed the finger in Alec's direction, claiming he didn't respond to her request for him to take safety lessons ... and she allegedly wasn't informed the star would be handling a gun on that fateful day.

Not to be forgotten ... there's a looming criminal investigation off in the distance that's still underway in New Mexico, where authorities have yet to exclude anyone, including Baldwin, of potential charges as they continue to look into what exactly happened.

As all of that has been playing out ... Halyna's loved ones have been grieving.

She leaves behind a husband, Matt, and a young son. She was just 42.

Kodak Black is out of the hospital after being shot in the leg ... and he very clearly needs help getting around.

Check out this video TMZ obtained, showing Kodak leaving Cedars-Sinai Monday afternoon in Los Angeles ... as you can see, he's using a walker and moving pretty slowly.

Kodak's also got a ton of bodyguards around him as he climbs into the back of a black SUV ... and for good reason.

As we reported, Kodak was among 4 people hit with bullets in a shooting that broke out early Saturday morning following Justin Bieber's after-party at the Nice Guy.

Remember, Kodak was struck in the leg and taken to the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

TMZ obtained new footage of the Kodak Black shooting that shows the lead-up to the gunfire and what appears to be the weapon.

You see Kodak standing with Gunna and Lil Baby, posing for photos and casually chatting with one another early Saturday morning outside Justin Bieber's after-party at The Nice Guy.

You see Gunna walk behind Kodak and whispers something in his ear. Kodak turns his head and nods and says something back.

Gunna walks away and gets in his SUV and closes the door. At that point, someone yells, "Oh S***. What?!?" As the camera swings around you see several people, including Kodak, race toward someone.

We froze the video so you could see what appears to be a gun.

At that point, Kodak swings at someone, and then gunshots ring out. Kodak turns and stumbles backward.

4 people, including Kodak, were hit by bullets, but everyone is expected to be OK. Kodak was hit in the leg, taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition.

The shooter is still at large.

Three people were shot and another was injured after gunfire erupted right in front of a slew of celebs ... following Justin Bieber's concert Friday night.

Bieber had performed in WeHo at the Pacific Design Center and had an afterparty nearby at The Nice Guy in L.A. The guest list included Drake, Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian.

At around 2:45 AM, as Kodak Black, Gunna and Lil Baby were standing on the street, smiling and talking, a fight broke out. Kodak took a swing at someone and then ... you hear gunshots.

Law enforcement tells us there were a total of 10 shots fired with three people hit by bullets and one sustaining injuries some other way. All were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition.

According to police the shooter/shooters are still on the loose.

The parties are the roll up to Sunday's Super Bowl. There were a bunch of parties Friday night, and they were for the most part peaceful.

Rapper Blueface was arrested early Saturday on gun charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Blueface was driving with a few people at around 3:15 AM but was stopped by cops in the heart of Hollywood at the intersection of Sunset and Vine.

Police say Blueface was pulled over because he was driving with a car that had an expired registration. Cops ran a computer check and found he was also driving on a suspended license.

That wasn't the worst of it. Blueface was ordered out of the vehicle and cops searched inside and found a loaded firearm in the center console.

LisaRaye McCoy has some stories to tell -- including why she's been to jail multiple times -- and she's not the least bit ashamed, because she says they paved the way to her success.

The actress got beyond real on the new podcast, "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" ... acknowledging fans love her because she's so down to Earth, but she says there's a good reason for that.

LisaRaye told Raq she's been to jail for "a whole bunch of s**t," and she wasn't kidding. Watch the clip, 'cause she comes clean about pistol-whippings, getting into fights and even shooting people.

Now, LR's podcast sitdown wasn't all gangsta -- they also dug into the Rihanna x Ari Fletcher drama, Nicole Murphy, and her sister, Da Brat's, new baby.

Of course, LisaRaye had her Hollywood breakout role as Diamond in 1998's cult classic, "The Players Club." Lately, she's a host on the Fox Soul show, "Cocktails With Queens" ... and she stars in "A House Divided" on the ALLBLK streaming platform.

Alex Venegas, aka Flyysoulja from the 'Island Boys', is doing all he can to make amends with the family of an 8-year-old shooting victim ... after finding out his friend is suspected of killing the little girl.

As we reported, Andrew James Thomas was arrested during a raid at Flyysoulja's rented Florida home. He says the bust, and news of Thomas' alleged involvement in a murder, came as a total shock ... and now he tells TMZ, he'd love to help the child's family if they can connect.

For now, he's urging folks to stay away from gang violence. The TikTok star says he wants to be a positive role model, and encourage others to be better citizens ... because he hates seeing innocent people get hurt.

Flyysoulja was home Monday when cops descended on Thomas -- and he told officers his friend had urged him to hide a gun, but Flyysoulja says he refused to help him at all.

Cops ended up booking Thomas for gun possession, violation of probation for a separate robbery case, and first-degree murder for the deadly drive-by shooting of the child in Palm Beach.

While Flyysoulja and his twin bro became internet-famous last year for their viral and unintentionally hilarious "Island Boy" freestyle -- they're taking the raid very seriously.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is getting an up-close look at his Secret Service agents in crunch time -- a bomb threat in Washington D.C. forced them to whisk VP Kamala Harris' husband to safety.

Emhoff's Secret Service detail leaped into action Tuesday during his appearance at Dunbar High School in D.C. for a Black History Month event. An agent reportedly approached Doug and told him it was go time, and they went ... quickly.

Looks like DE was a pretty cool customer during the crisis.

Agents took care of rushing Emhoff out of the room ... while students and teachers were also evacuated. The White House says the building's been cleared and everyone is safe now.

It's unclear if there was a real bomb -- but the threat comes on the heels of dozens of other bomb threats at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. The threats started coming in as Black History Month was beginning.

The Florida home of the 'Island Boys' was the scene of a police raid that led to an arrest in a fatal drive-by shooting of an 8-year-old girl.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... a SWAT team executed a search warrant Monday at the property rented by the TikTok stars, Alex and Franky Venegas. Neither was arrested, but cops nabbed an apparent associate of theirs ... murder suspect Andrew James Thomas.

According to the police report, Alex was home during the raid.

Police say Alex told them Thomas ran toward him in a hallway while holding a black handgun with an extended magazine when SWAT knocked on their door. Alex claims Thomas tried to get him to hide the gun, but he refused.

Alex told officers he saw Thomas run into the laundry room and return without the gun. Police say they found the gun inside the laundry room closet.

Thomas was booked for gun possession and violation of probation for a separate robbery case. We're told he was also booked on a first-degree murder charge in the deadly drive-by shooting of an 8-year-old girl in Palm Beach.

Coral Springs Police Sgt. Ernesto Bruna tells TMZ ... it's not clear if Thomas was staying in the home or just visiting the Island Boys.

The Island Boys' manager tells TMZ ... they had no idea Thomas, who grew up with them, was a suspect in a drive-by shooting.

Drill Music is starting to get silenced in NYC ... but homegrown artists like Fivio Foreign are fighting to keep it afloat.

We got Fivio leaving The Palm in New York ... after having meetings regarding what seems to be the future of Drill Music on the airwaves. He said the meeting went well and feels like a step in the right direction.

When asked about the possibility of Drill artists getting indicted for their violent lyrics, Fivio called it BS, saying "That means you gotta go lock up Denzel for being a bad cop in "Training Day"!"

He says music is an art form where people can express themselves in the only way they know how, and it's unfair to single out one genre of music, or one community of people.

In case you're unfamiliar, Drill is a style of trap music that's been mainstream for the past decade, with artists like Chief Keef and Lil Durk associated -- as well as Fivio Foreign.

It's known for its violent and gritty lyrics... which is why the city of NYC has been trying to shut it down.

The NYPD claims Drill is making gang violence in their city worse, pointing to its lyrics as a source of inspiration for shootings. While they say it isn't a blatant cause of violence, at the end of the day, they believe it's a strong influence.

The key medic on "Rust" is now taking legal action against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls ... suing them over the fatal shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Cherlyn Schaefer filed suit against the movie's armorer and assistant director -- plus the production company and others -- claiming the defendants' alleged negligence caused her severe emotional distress in the aftermath of it all.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Schaefer claims she was the first one to provide medical assistance to Halyna after the shooting ... desperately fighting to save her life by applying pressure to her wounds, giving her oxygen and checking her vitals.

Schaefer also claims she was the one who called 911 and ordered a medical helicopter to airlift Halyna to the hospital ... where she eventually died.

In the suit, Schaefer claims she's since suffered "tremendous shock, trauma and severe emotional distress" ... and she's blaming the whole ordeal on the production's shortcomings with respect to safety issues.

Schaefer says she was regularly employed as a medic on film sets before "Rust" ... but now she claims she's so shaken she's medically prevented from returning to the profession or any other job.

Schaefer's suing Reed and Halls because she says they were responsible for Alec Baldwin being given the gun with a live round, which killed Halyna. Baldwin is not being sued.

She's also suing the movie's prop master, Sarah Zachry, claiming Zachry knew or should have known the gun contained live ammo.

Zachry's lawyer, William Waggoner, tells TMZ ... Zachry did not load the gun or handle the gun the day of the shooting, and "she did nothing wrong."

Schaefer is asking for unspecified damages.

Lil Uzi Vert took a plea deal in an assault case involving his ex-girlfriend and fellow rapper SAINt JHN ... and he's avoiding time behind bars.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office tells us Lil Uzi Vert pleaded no contest in court to one count each of felony assault with a firearm and misdemeanor injury to a girlfriend.

We're told he was sentenced to 3 years of formal probation, 1 year of treatment for mental health and substance abuse, 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, restitution and a 10-year criminal protective order.

Lil Uzi Vert copped the plea deal after prosecutors charged him with 3 felonies -- assault with a firearm, criminal threats and domestic violence -- plus a misdemeanor charge of carrying a loaded firearm.

TMZ broke the story ... Uzi's ex, Brittany Byrd, filed a police report back in July claiming Uzi put a gun to her stomach and then hit her.

Remember ... the alleged incident went down at Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood, where Lil Uzi Vert jumped out of a Cadillac Escalade and confronted JHN, leading to a physical altercation.

At the time, sources connected to Brittany told us she was discussing a business project with SAINt JHN when Uzi rolled up and confronted everyone at their table before getting into it with JHN.

As we reported, the sources said Uzi threw a punch at JHN but missed ... and when Uzi fell down his gun fell out on the ground. We were told that's when Brittany got up from the table and approached Uzi and he allegedly hit her and pushed the firearm into her stomach.

Prosecutors followed through with criminal charges and Lil Uzi copped a plea.

The family of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley does not think he committed suicide ... they believe he was kidnapped and murdered.

Moses' sister, Teerea Kimbro, tells TMZ ... everyone who was close to Moses knew he loved life and she believes with all her heart he was kidnapped and then killed 3 days later.

We broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us Moses' body was found in Georgia Wednesday and cops were investigating his death as a possible suicide.

But, Moses' sister says he'd booked a taping for the Monday before his body was found but never showed up ... something she says he would never do. She went on to say he loved where his career was heading and they were planning big things in the near future.

Cops say they found Moses' body in his car with the doors locked, a gun in his lap and a facial bullet wound.

His sister says investigators told her the gun in question was one of hers -- she says she and Moses liked to go to the gun range and that he had a license to carry.

The family says cops told them they're looking at possible foul play, and Henry County Police Captain Randy Lee tells TMZ ... "It is being investigated as a possible suicide, however, detectives are following any and all available avenues and not ruling anything out."

NFL player Damon Arnette allegedly pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a valet in Las Vegas and demanded his Mercedes SUV keys, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys," according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

25-year-old Arnette -- a 1st round draft pick -- was arrested on Friday, January 28 on Las Vegas Blvd. after cops received a call about a man who allegedly pulled a gun after becoming irate with a valet at the Park MGM resort.

Las Vegas Metro PD say they located Arnette driving a black G-Wagon around 6 PM on Las Vegas Blvd. When they pulled him over, they say they located two guns in the car. One of the weapons was found on a passenger (a Glock 36), and the other was found next to where Damon was seated.

As for the incident that led to the arrest ... a Park MGM employee said he retrieved a prompt to retrieve the Benz. However, when the valet delivered the car, he asked to see Arnette's ticket -- which he said he'd lost. That's when Damon allegedly lost it, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys!"

Shortly after the valet says things took a turn for the worst. The male employee claims he heard a gun cock, and when he looked up, Arnette was pointing the firearm at him, and again demanded his car.

Arnette eventually got his keys and left ... and police were called. Damon was pulled over and arrested shortly after.

Police say they viewed surveillance video from the casino ... and the video shows Arnette "took a handgun that was concealed from his pants and placed it in the drivers side interior door."

Police say "it appears that Arnette gets irritated and starts yelling at the attendant."

The argument continued, and LVMPD says "Arnette then appears to reach down and charge his pistol using both hands."

FYI, to charge a handgun is to cock the handle.

It gets worse for Damon. Police say they found 3 baggies of cocaine -- totaling 1.8 grams -- in his pocket. They asked Arnette about the powder, and he told them it was ketamine, but that it was not his.

Cops say they also located 13.5 ounces of what appeared to be marijuana (the alleged weed hasn't yet been tested). LVMPD says Damon admitted to having a large amount of pot in his car for personal consumption.

Arnette was eventually booked on 4 felony charges including carrying a concealed weapon, assault and drug possession.

It's not the first time he's been in trouble. Arnette was cut by the Raiders after a video surfaced where he appeared to threaten someone with a weapon.

Arnette is also being sued for an alleged hit and run where someone was seriously injured.

Elizabeth Vargas is happy to be alive, but considering ways to keep herself safe in the future after a scary incident that saw a former fling inside her home armed with a gun.

Vargas hit NOBU in Malibu Wednesday night, a mere 24 hours after cops rescued her from her Newport Beach home. She shares some intimate details of the scary incident, saying all she could think was "Please help me" when the man, Ryan Geraghty, entered her home.

Vargas -- accompanied by her manager David Weintraub and billionaire John Paul DeJoria -- says she's not a gun owner, but the whole ordeal has definitely made her consider becoming one. She says she also plans to run background checks on any possible future suitors, as unbeknownst to her, Geraghty was a felon.

TMZ broke the story, SWAT team officers descended on Vargas' home Tuesday after the former 'RHOC' star called to report she was being extorted and believed Geraghty was coming to her home.

The two had briefly dated, and Geraghty had allegedly pressured Elizabeth to help him financially.

Tragic news ... Paraguayan soccer star Ivan Torres says his wife Cristina Vita Aranda was killed after being shot in the head while the two attended a concert.

She was only 29 years old.

Aranda's death was confirmed by Itaugua Nacional Hospital director Yolanda Gonzalez, in a statement via the Sun.

"She was intubated when she arrived and attempts were made to resuscitate her for at least 25 minutes after she went into cardiac arrest," Gonzalez said. "She died after the lengthy attempts to save her life."

Torres and Aranda were reportedly at a concert at the Jose Asuncion Flores Amphitheatre ... when gunfire erupted, according to the outlet.

The shooting is still under investigation by authorities, but preliminary reports say there were 4 other victims -- between the ages of 23 and 40 -- who were also wounded during the incident.

Torres, however, did not sustain any physical injuries, according to the reports.

Police chief Benicio Ramirez said law enforcement officials do not believe she was the intended target, but rather a "collateral victim" in the incident.

“This is how I will remember you my love, with that beautiful smile and that big heart," Torres wrote on social media.

He continued ... "I promise that I will miss you very much, nothing will be the same without you, just to thank you for these 11 years by my side, for teaching me to recognize my mistakes, to forgive, to believe, to be better, to love unconditionally, that Despite the difficulties we had to be prepared for the next opportunity, you told me that you wanted to reach the heart of each woman and impact them."

“I know that God granted it to you and will continue to do so, and THANK YOU for those three children you gave me, I will honor your name by giving my best so that they look like you. LOVE YOU.”

Aranda posted last December she and Torres were getting a divorce after being married for 10 years ... but the two were reportedly working on reconciling even in the last moments of her life.