A New Mexico prosecutor has announced that she will charge actor Alec Baldwin, and others, over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of Rust.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced involuntary manslaughter charges against the 30 Rock actor and the film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, after more than a year of investigation into the October 2021 shooting on a film set outside Santa Fe.
Assistant director David Halls has signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, the prosecutor said in a statement.
"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," Ms Carmack-Altwies said.
"On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice."
Baldwin's attorney, Luke Nikas, said the decision to file charges against the actor "represents a terrible miscarriage of justice".
Hutchins was killed when a revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with during filming in New Mexico fired a live round that hit her causing fatal injuries and movie director Joel Souza, who survived.
Prosecutors must prove in court that on-set firearm safety began with Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of all weapons on the production. They must also prove that responsibility applied to Halls, who checked the weapon and handed it to Baldwin.
Involuntary manslaughter is considered an unintentional killing and carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison in New Mexico and a $US7,259 fine ($10,492).
Baldwin has denied responsibility for Hutchins's death and said live rounds should never have been allowed onto the set of the low-budget movie.
He said he was told the gun was "cold", an industry term meaning it is safe to use.
In a 2021 television interview, the actor told US network ABC News he did not pull the trigger of the replica Pietta .45-caliber long Colt revolver and it fired after he cocked it while rehearsing camera angles with Hutchins.
An FBI forensic test of the single-action revolver found it "functioned normally" and would not fire without the trigger being pulled.
The investigation into Hutchins's death focused on how live rounds got onto a movie set and how they were loaded into a firearm.
Ms Carmack-Altwies last year hired a special prosecutor and received $US318,000 ($460,000) in state funds to pursue what, she believed, would be high-profile, costly jury trials should charges be filed.
"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," said Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor appointed to the case.
The agency found Rust Move Productions knew firearm safety procedures were not being followed and showed "plain indifference" to the hazards.
Story by: Reuters
Original Story link:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-20/actor-alec-baldwin-to-be-charged-over-fatal-on-set-shooting/101874676?fbclid=IwAR3do7BsPvIDovmUMIFOOQD4YuiJWMrqhTbPCa0re_CHQK50tFnrsumIYbM
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