Alec Baldwin to be charged over death in Rust shooting
Paramount PicturesAlec Baldwin and the armorer on the set of Rust will be charged with involuntary manslaughter following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed by Baldwin on October 21, 2012, while the actor was reportedly “practicing his cross-draw”, earlier on-set reports said. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident.
While Baldwin discharged the weapon, the movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed loaded the gun. Both will face charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Alec Baldwin and Rust armorer facing charges
The charges were announced today, January 19, by Santa Santa Fe’s District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies. They carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.
“Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter,” the statement read, as per Variety.
“After a thorough review of the evidence… I have determined that there is sufficient evidence. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Dave Halls, the first assistant director on Rust, will also plead guilty to a charge of “negligent use of a deadly weapon”, after he was responsible for handing the loaded gun to Baldwin. He will not spend any time in jail under the agreement, instead being given six months of probation.
Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor overseeing the case, also said: “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.
“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.”
Neither Baldwin nor Gutierrez-Reed have commented on the charges. In the wake of Hutchins’ death, Baldwin claimed he wasn’t responsible for the shooting, and that he didn’t pull the trigger.