Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin and the on-set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in New Mexico.
According to Variety, Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed each face two counts of involuntary manslaughter, which each carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail. They also will be charged with an enhancement for use of a firearm which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. Baldwin has repeatedly argued that he is not to blame for the incident. His attorneys have alleged that David Halls, Gutierrez Reed, and two others were at fault for the mishap that led to the shooting.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, the First Judicial District Attorney in Santa Fe, announced the charges in a statement on Thursday. The prosecutor also announced that the film’s first assistant director Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of “negligent use of a deadly weapon.” The AD handed the loaded Colt .45 to Baldwin. As per the report, Halls will be given six months of probation but will not serve jail time, under the plea agreement.
“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 overseeing the case, 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.”
In October 2021, Baldwin held a gun during a rehearsal when it discharged, killing the film cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor was pointing a prop pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the film's director, Joel Souza. According to a police report, David Halls, the assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin, told the actor it was "cold," meaning it did not contain live ammunition or even blank rounds.
Hutchins was then airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead. Brian Panish, the attorney for Hutchins’ widower and son, issued a statement Thursday on behalf of the family expressing support for the charges. “We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life,” Panish said.
“Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. 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.”
Also Read: Alec Baldwin’s Rust to resume filming in January 2023 after settlement with Halyna Hutchins estate
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