Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for a death that occurred during the filming of 2021 movie, “Rust.”
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when a prop gun went off on the film’s set.
Film armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
While the actor was holding the gun at the time of the shooting, he maintains that he never pulled the trigger.
He places responsibility for the tragedy on the armorer and props assistant on the film, as well as the assistant director, who handed him the gun.
The shooting occurred after Baldwin had been rehearsing for a scene for the film at a ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico on Oct. 21, 2021.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said she will formally file the charges against Baldwin and the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, “before the end of this month.”
“We will not be asking for an arrest,” the district attorney said.
“We’ll send out what’s called a summons. From that, the court will set what’s called a first appearance, or, it’s basically an arraignment. And at that point they will either have to come here (to New Mexico) or they might do a video arraignment, we have been doing those since Covid, and they will get their conditions of release and enter not guilty pleas.”
The movie’s director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting, but prosecutors insisted no charges would be filed regarding that.
“Every person that handles a gun has a duty to make sure, if they are going to handle that gun – point it at someone and pull the trigger – that it is not going to fire a projectile and kill someone, and this is really about justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Carmack-Altwies said.
If convicted, the pair, who will be tried by a jury, face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 USD fine.
