Actor Alec Baldwin will now be charged with involuntary manslaughter after the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins was killed on the film set when Baldwin fired a prop gun at him.
The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
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The shooting happened in October 2021 when Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene of Rust, a Western film at a ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe’s District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies made a statement that charges will be filed on the two by the end of the month.
“Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter,” said Attorney Carmack-Altwies. “After a thorough review of the evidence… I have determined that there is sufficient evidence.”
If convicted, the two will face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000.
The prosecutor said that it was Baldwin’s responsibility to ensure that the guns and bullets were properly checked and he should have never pointed it to anyone.
“You should not point a gun at someone that you’re not willing to shoot,” Attorney Carmack said in the statement, “that goes to basic safety standards.”
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Baldwin has not taken up responsibility for the act, saying that he was told that the prop did not have any live ammunition. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” The Hunt for Red October star said. He further added that he was following the directions of where to point the gun when it went off, which killed Hutchins.
“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.