Actor Alec Baldwin will reportedly be charged with involuntary manslaughter following a shooting on a movie set.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by a live bullet loaded into a prop gun fired by the actor in October 2021 while filming Rust. Director Joel Souza was also shot though survived after sustaining injuries.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will also be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for her involvement in Hutchins’ death, according to a Thursday announcement from prosecutors.
“Per the DA in Sante Fe: ‘Rust’ actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the film’s Santa Fe County set in 2021,” said CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave.
Per the DA in Sante Fe: “Rust” actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the film’s Santa Fe County set in 2021.
— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) January 19, 2023
Assistant director David Halls reportedly signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to Van Cleave.
“The terms include a suspended sentence and six months of probation. A copy of the plea agreement will be available after it has been filed with the court.”
No charges will be filed specific to the non-fatal shooting of “Rust” director Joel Souza.
— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) January 19, 2023
Charges have not been filed in relation to Souza’s injuries sustained by the shooting.
“After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew,” said New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies in a statement announcing charges would be filed against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed by the end of the month. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
“Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be ‘charged in the alternative’ with the two counts of manslaughter, meaning that a jury would decide not simply if they were guilty, but under which definition of involuntary manslaughter they were guilty.”
The actor previously denied involvement in the shooting, claiming he “didn’t pull the trigger” in an interview with George Stephanopolous. Analysis conducted by the FBI determined Baldwin did in fact pull the trigger.
Other reports suggested the prop gun had been loaded and fired with live rounds several times prior to Hutchins’ death.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin wrote in a tweet following the October 2021 shooting. “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
In October 2022 Baldwin settled a lawsuit with Hutchins’ family for an undisclosed amount of money. The film, which halted production following the fatal shooting, was scheduled to resume this month in a different location. Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, will serve as an executive producer per the settled lawsuit agreement.
