Alec Baldwin and armorer to be charged with involuntary manslaughter after fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’.
Alec Baldwin, the actor who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust” in 2021, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter prosecutors said Thursday.
Baldwin has maintained he was not aware the gun he fired on set contained a live round.
Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said.
On Thursday, Santa Fe’s District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced in a statement that charges would be filed against them by the end of the month.
“Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter,” the statement read. “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 said.
The pair face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 (£4,040) fine if convicted. They will be tried by a jury, prosecutors said.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded by a gunshot during set-up for a scene at the ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on 21 October 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza.
Santa Fe’s county sheriff, Adan Mendoza, who led the initial investigation into Hutchins’ death, described “a degree of neglect” on the film set. But he left decisions about potential criminal charges to prosecutors after delivering the results of a yearlong investigation in October. That report did not specify how live ammunition wound up on the film set.