Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter after ‘Rust’ shooting
Hollywood star Alec Baldwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter following the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust in October 2021. The announcement comes after it was announced earlier in the week that Santa Fe-area District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies would announce the charges eminently. The charges are expected to be filed by the end of the month.
The shooting occurred on the set of Rust, a western movie being shot just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. During preparations for a scene, Baldwin discharged a live round from a revolver, killing 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins ad wounding director Joel Souza.
Per Carmack-Altwies’ breaking statement, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer, will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter alongside Baldwin. “Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter,” the statement reads. “After a thorough review of the evidence… I have determined that there is sufficient evidence.”
“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice,” she added.
In the state of New Mexico, involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. At present, no comment has been made by Baldwin, Gutierrez or their attorneys.
Also involved in the trial is David Halls, the film’s first assistant director, who has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to the charge of ‘negligent use of a deadly weapon’. As yet, he has faced no charges.
According to affidavits from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Halls took one of three prop guns laid out on a rolling cart courtesy of Gutierrez-Reed and handed it to Baldwin before the scene. Halls then shouted, “cold gun”, to announce that the firearm didn’t contain live rounds. Baldwin then opened fire.
However, since the incident, Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger. He maintains that he just pulled the hammer back and released it. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never,” Baldwin told ABC News in December 2021. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
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