Prosecutors plan to charge Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the deadly 2021 “Rust” film shooting, CNN reports.
“‘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,” New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced in statement Thursday morning, according to CNN reports.
Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin and Guttierez Reed will be “charged in the alternative” with two counts of manslaughter, meaning a jury will decide not only whether the two are guilty, but also under which legal definition of involuntary manslaughter.
In either case, a conviction is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine, according to the district attorney.
But one definition would involve a firearm enhancement, or added mandatory penalty, because a firearm was involved. In that case, the crime could be punishable by a mandatory five years in jail.
The district attorney said no charges will be filed specific to the non-fatal shooting of the film’s director, Joel Souza.
“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 in the statement. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
In addition to actor Alec Baldwin, “Rust” movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film’s set in 2021, according to prosecutors.
In March 2022, Gutierrez Reed said she was not called to inspect the gun that ultimately fired a live round and fatally wounded Hutchins. She issued the statement in response to a legal filing in which Baldwin said Hutchins told him to cock the gun.
“Mr. Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety to his fellow crew members,” Gutierrez Reed said.
“Yet he did point the gun at Halyna before the fatal incident against all rules and common sense,” she added.
Assistant director David Halls has signed a plea agreement for the charge of “negligent use of a deadly weapon,” according to the New Mexico prosecutor who announced charges in the fatal “Rust” film set shooting Thursday.
The terms of that deal include six months of probation and a suspended sentence, according to a statement from New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies’ office.
The statement added that charges will not be filed against film director Joel Souza.