TWO COUNTS
ACTOR Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust in 2021.
The New Mexico District Attorney announced the pending charges against Baldwin on Thursday, nearly 15 months after the deadly incident.
6
6
6
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the set, will also face the same charges.
Under New Mexico law, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed could face a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
The charges also include a provision that could result in a mandatory five years in jail because the offense was committed with a gun.
Baldwin, who has long maintained his innocence, released a statement saying he will fight the charges.
More on Alec Baldwin
"This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice," the actor's attorney Luke Nikas said.
"Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set.
"He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win."
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said charges will be filed by the end of January, and Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be issued a summons to appear in court.
Most read in The US Sun
Meanwhile, the film's assistant director, David Halls - who investigators said handed the loaded gun to Baldwin just before the rehearsal - accepted a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal, prosecutors revealed.
The deal includes a suspended sentence and six months of probation.
After the announcement, attorney Brian J. Panish, who is representing Hutchins' family, released a statement supporting the charges and thanked the Santa Fe sheriff and district attorney.
"Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law." Panish said.
6
6
6
FILM SET HORROR
The low-budget film was in the middle of production when the fatal mishap occurred.
On October 21, 2021, Hutchins was rehearsing a scene with Baldwin in an old wooden church at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a famous movie location near Santa Fe.
Baldwin was handed a loaded prop Colt .45 revolver but was unaware that it contained live ammunition.
He fired the live round striking Hutchins in the chest and wounding director Joe Souza.
Following the incident, a distraught Baldwin was seen sobbing outside a local police station after authorities questioned him.
Hutchins' father, Anatoly Androsovych, previously told The U.S. Sun that Baldwin was "partly responsible" for his daughter's death.
Ukrainian Anatoly — who served as a submarine captain — said: “I can’t understand the behavior of Alec.
"Why did he sweep out his tweets when it became clear the shooting was on rehearsal?
“And why did he fire the shot during the preparations? The revolver is the type of gun which doesn’t shoot before the trigger is pressed, and Alec is partially guilty for causing that shot.
“It is clear to me Baldwin fired the shot from his hand, so it’s hard for me to understand how he cannot be held partly responsible for my daughter’s death.”
New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator determined the shooting was an accident.
In an interview with CNN last August, Baldwin blamed the tragedy on Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Halls, who handed him the gun.
Read More on The US Sun
In October, Hutchins' family reached an undisclosed settlement in a wrongful death suit filed against Baldwin and others involved in producing the film.
Last November, Baldwin filed a lawsuit against four crew members alleging negligence and seeking damages for his "immense grief."