Actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene for the Western film ‘Rust’ at a ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico where he happened to fire a prop gun at Hutchins, who was killed on a film set.
New Mexico prosecutors announced that they would file criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter against the actor and Reed who had been looking after the armors for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins was a cinematographer on the set of the western film “Rust” when Baldwin fatally shot her with a gun that had mistakenly been filled with at least one live round. He also injured director Joel Souza in the incident.
Assistant director David Halls has already signed a plea deal for negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Baldwin stated that he believed the bullets in the gun were “cold”, meaning filled with blanks that could not hurt anyone — the usual protocol on a movie set. He had been practicing wielding the weapon when the gun fired.
In October 2022, Baldwin and others involved in ‘Rust’ settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the Hutchins family, agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount.
The suit alleged that the set of the film failed to meet industry safety standards.
Baldwin faces a maximum 18-month prison sentence if convicted.
