Baldwin again charged with manslaughter over fatal shooting of camerawoman on set
ACTOR Alec Baldwin was last night charged for a second time over the fatal shooting on the set of movie Rust.
A grand jury in New Mexico indicted the star on one count of involuntary manslaughter – reviving the criminal case against him, less than a year after original charges were dropped.
Baldwin, 65, has maintained he is not responsible for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42 – who was shot in 2021 when the gun he was rehearsing with went off on the set of Rust. The actor, who stars in the Western and also worked as producer of the movie, says he was told the prop gun did not contain any live rounds and that no live ammunition was supposed to be on set.
He has also denied pulling the trigger – a claim that has been disputed by a forensic report commissioned by prosecutors.
According to the grand jury indictment, Baldwin stands accused of involuntary manslaughter (negligent use of a firearm) or the alternative count of involuntary manslaughter (without due care and attention).
If convicted, the actor could face up to 18 months in prison.
His lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said: ‘We look forward to our day in court’.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer and weapons supervisor, has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Ms Hutchins’s death. She is due to face a trial next month in New Mexico. It is unclear whether Baldwin will be tried at the same time.
The shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims, filed by members of Ms Hutchins’s family, centred on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. However, judges recently agreed to put these on hold after prosecutors said they would present charges to a grand jury.