NEW MEXICO (CelebrityAccess) – Alec Baldwin, the actor who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the movie Rust in 2021 will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be faced with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to a CNN report.
Baldwin has maintained that he was not aware the gun fired during the rehearsal contained a live round. Furthermore, he maintains he did not pull the gun’s trigger.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, DA for New Mexico’s first judicial district, and prosecutor Andrea Reeb announced the charges today (January 19).
Film cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was struck and killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun being held by Baldwin. Director Joel Souza was also injured.
An FBI forensics report said the weapon could not be fired during FBI testing of its normal functioning without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked. The report also noted the gun eventually malfunctioned during testing after internal parts fractured, which caused the gun to go off without pulling the trigger.
In an interview with CNN in August, Baldwin placed responsibility for the tragedy on Gutierrez-Reed, who served as the armorer and props assistant on the film, and assistant director Dave Halls, who handed him the gun. In November, Baldwin filed suit against the two and other individuals associated with the film, according to a cross-complaint obtained by CNN.
Gutierrez-Reed and Halls maintained they were not at fault and accused Baldwin of deflecting blame onto others. Gutierrez- Reed also sued the movie’s gun and ammunition supplier and its founder, alleging dummy ammunition was sold with live rounds mixed in.
Fox News reports that Halls allegedly handed Baldwin the .45 revolver, telling him that it was “cold” or “safe.” Before that, Gutierrez-Reed spun the cylinder to show Halls what was in the gun, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer said.
In October, Hutchins’ family reached an undisclosed settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Baldwin and others involved in producing the film.
Matthew Hutchins, the widower of Halyna Hutchins, described her death as a “terrible accident” in a statement at the time of the settlement. Production on Rust was to resume this month with Matthew Hutchins joining as an executive producer on the film as part of the agreement.
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