In October of 2021, Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot by superstar actor Alec Baldwin in a freak accident on the set of ‘Rust’, a movie that featured Baldwin in a starring role.
Initially, the armorer was the primary person charged in the shooting for his failure to maintain safety on the set, leading to Hutchins’s death.
On Tuesday, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that Baldwin would be criminally charged as well.
Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The District Attorney said that Baldwin displayed criminal negligency on the set, including failing to take required firearms training, not checking the firearm with the armorer, deviating from standard firearms protocol on set, putting his finger on the trigger of a real firearm when a replica should have been used instead, and a litany of other offenses that amounted to a ‘willful disregard for the safety of others’ on set.
FOX News Reports-
Actor Alec Baldwin has been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter along with a weapons expert in the shooting death on the set of the western film "Rust." Prosecutors say more than a dozen safety violations occurred on the set. pic.twitter.com/KIwbtUv0Ex
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 1, 2023
Alec Baldwin has been criminally charged for his involvement in the fatal “Rust” shooting that led to Halyna Hutchins’ death.
Baldwin was formally charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the alternative Tuesday, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged Tuesday. Prosecutors said previously that assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has agreed to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors say Halls may have handled the gun improperly before it was given to Baldwin.
“Today we have taken another important step in securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. “In New Mexico, no one is above the law, and justice will be served.”
Prosecutors laid out their case against Baldwin in specific detail in the probable cause documents released Tuesday.
“Baldwin’s deviation from known standards, practice and protocol directly caused the fatal death of Hutchins,” the documents state.