BREAKING: Alec Baldwin to Face Manslaughter Charges for Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting
Prosecutors in New Mexico are filing felony criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of the cinematographer
Ivy Griffith
Prosecutors in New Mexico are filing felony criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of the cinematographer from the low-budget western film, “Rust”.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot in the chest on October 21, 2021, while she rehearsed a scene with Baldwin and the director of the film, Joel Souza.
Prosecutors are filing two charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin.
In addition to Baldwin, the armorer of the film (Hannah Gutierrez Reed) will also be facing manslaughter charges. Reed was the one who loaded the gun.
The film’s assistant director, David Halls, was the one who handed the revolver used in the fatal shooting to Baldwin.
Halls accepted a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal.
Several Other Live Rounds found on “Rust” Set Where Alec Baldwin Accidentally Shot Hutchins to Death
Alec Baldwin and the armorer on the set of ‘RUST’ will be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 19, 2023
(Source: https://t.co/1906PP8uCs) pic.twitter.com/jMPMSYCxjJ
Investigators found several lead bullets mixed in with inert dummy rounds after they looked into the series of events, even though live bullets are forbidden from movie sets.
A cascade of failures led to Hutchins’ death, and in the 15 months since the shooting, Hollywood producers have faced calls to improve safety conditions for film crews.
Crews are often working with fewer people on larger and more complicated movies as production has boomed in recent years.
Alec Baldwin Reached a Deal with Hutchins’ Family
SPECIAL PROSECTOR REEB: “If any one of these three people—Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls—had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple"
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 19, 2023
The announcement of charges against Baldwin comes just three months after the actor and the film’s other producers struck a deal with the family of Hutchins to end the wrongful death civil lawsuit they filed in early 2022.
The family initially blamed producers for reckless behavior and cost-cutting measures that led to Hutchins’ death.
Under the deal (still waiting for a judge’s approval), the movie’s production would resume this year.
Since striking a deal with producers, Hutchins’ widow, Matthew Hutchins, said of Halyna’s death: “Halyna’s death was a terrible accident.”
This story is developing.