Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter after a woman lost her life on the set of “Rust,” according to a statement by prosecutors in New Mexico. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when a gun handled by Baldwin was discharged on the set. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will face the same charges.
Prosecutors say Baldwin will face two counts of involuntary manslaughter as he should have checked the weapon before firing and should never have pointed it at anyone.
“You should not point a gun at someone that you’re not willing to shoot,” the district attorney for Santa Fe County, Mary Carmack-Altwies, said in an interview, as per The New York Times. “That goes to basic safety standards.”
Baldwin has always denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death, describing her as a dear friend and insisting that he played no role in her tragic killing. He claimed he simply followed direction when pointing the gun in the victim’s direction and that someone else was at fault. He also said he was told there was no live ammunition in the gun at the time of the shooting.
“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,” said Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor appointed by the district attorney, in a statement. “It’s that simple. The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.”
The prosecutor’s decision to file charges comes 15 months after Hutchins’ death on October 21, 2021. Brian J. Panish, a lawyer for Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, said he was pleased by the decision to charge Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with manslaughter. David Halls, the first assistant director, pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon and received a suspended sentence and six months of probation.
“It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law,” Mr. Panish said. “We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.”
