A New Mexico prosecutor today charged the actor with negligent homicide Alec Baldwin and gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, regarding the shooting that killed her filmmaker Halina Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’ in October 2021.
The office of District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwis also announced that assistant director David Halls signed a plea deal, accepting a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
“After a thorough review of the evidence (…) I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to bring charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew,” Carmack-Altwis said, stressing that “no one is above the law”.
In New Mexico, manslaughter is punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
During a rehearsal for a scene in the film, the gun Baldwin was holding went off, killing cinematographer Halina Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The 64-year-old actor denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death, pointing out that no real bullets were to be found on set. He also said he had been assured the gun was “cold” – a term used in shootings to suggest it is safe to use.
In a 2021 interview with ABC television, Baldwin maintained that he never pulled the trigger of the pistol (an imitation .45 Colt) and that the discharge was accidental.
The fatal weapon was tested in FBI laboratories and experts did not find the slightest malfunction, estimating that it would not go off without someone pulling the trigger.
Source: News Beast
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