Alec Baldwin will face charges concerning the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in October 2021.
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Special Prosecutor Andrea Reeb announced their decision in a statement Thursday morning.
Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will both face involuntary manslaughter charges. David Halls, the assistant director, has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon.
“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez Reed or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple,” Reeb said in a statement. “The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.”
“The first charge can be referred to simply as involuntary manslaughter,” Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. “For this charge to be proved there must be underlying negligence. Under New Mexico law, involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony and is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. This charge also includes the misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a firearm, which would likely merge as a matter of law.
“The other charge is involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. This charge requires proof that there was more than simple negligence involved in a death. This is also a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
“This charge includes a firearm enhancement, or added mandatory penalty because a firearm was involved. The firearm enhancement makes the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in jail.”
Baldwin has denied that he ever pulled the trigger.
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property. Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” he told ABC News.
“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” he said.
“I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’” Baldwin said. “And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”
“So, you never pulled the trigger?” interviewer George Stephanopoulos asked him.
“No, no, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them,” Baldwin said.
Maybe Baldwin will finally be held accountable for his actions.