Alec Baldwin has been criminally charged in connection with the “Rust”
shooting which left a cinematographer dead, prosecutors said Thursday.
New Mexico prosecutors charged both Baldwin and armorer Hannah
Gutierrez-Reed with two federal counts of involuntary manslaughter
over the death of Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” film set in October
2021, when a real bullet was loaded into a prop gun. Alec Baldwin has
been criminally charged in connection with the “Rust” shooting which
left a cinematographer dead, prosecutors said Thursday.
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,” Carmack-Altwies said. On my watch, no one is above
the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Assistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin the loaded gun,
accepted a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal.
The long-awaited decision to charge the “30 Rock” star and three
others came after a meticulous investigation revealed all bore
responsibility for the shooting that killed married mom Halyna
Hutchins, 42 and injured Joel Souza, 49.
Each defendant will get a preliminary court hearing within 60 days to
determine if there is probable cause to go to trial, prosecutors
said.
While Carmack-Altwies previously acknowledged Baldwin was responsible
for firing the fatal round, she said “many individuals” on-set had
handled the gun prior to the tragedy and could be criminally liable.
During the initial investigation, detectives from the Santa Fe
Sheriff’s Office said they found a mixture of dummy and live rounds
scattered throughout the set, which is a violation of industry safety
standards. At the time, Carmack-Altwies said determining how the live
rounds got to the set “will be one of the most important factors going
into a charging decision.”
The crew member in charge of ammo and weapons on set, armorer Hannah
Gutierrez-Reed, has repeatedly denied responsibility for the shooting.
In January, she filed suit against the props company that supplied the
rounds, alleging they sold blanks and lives mixed together.
At the time of the shooting, Baldwin was sitting on a pew in a mock
church at the Bonanza Creek Ranch rehearsing a cross draw as Hutchins
and Souza stood behind the camera.
As he rehearsed, he pulled out the gun, pointed it directly at the
camera and fired a single bullet that struck both Hutchins and Souza.
The Emmy winner has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, saying the
gun went off accidentally, but an FBI forensic report released in
August concluded the firearm couldn’t have gone off unless someone
pulled the trigger.
Souza told police he recalled hearing the phrase “cold gun” while
preparing for the scene, indicating the firearm wasn’t loaded and was
safe for use, but he couldn’t remember if the gun had been checked
before it was handed to Baldwin.
More at:
https://nypost.com/2023/01/19/alec-baldwin-charged-in-fatal-rust-shooting-of-halyna-hutchins/
If you pick up or are handed a gun, the first thing you do is check if
it's loaded. If you don't know how to check, you don't touch it, or
assume that it's loaded. At any rate you always handle a gun loaded or
not, as if it's loaded.