‘Rust’ shooting: Baldwin faces manslaughter charges

Hutchins’ family hails decision while actor’s attorney terms it a miscarriage of justice

American actor Alec Baldwin faces involuntary manslaughter charges carrying prison time for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the 2021 filming of Western Rust in New Mexico.

Santa Fe’s top prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies said yesterday that the film’s armourer, Hannah GutierrezReed, would also be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Hutchins’ family welcomed the announcement, while Baldwin attorney Luke Nikas said, “this decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.”

Investigation

The charging decision followed more than a year of investigation after a pistol was fired in October 2021 as Baldwin, 64, was rehearsing with it on the set of his movie Rust outside Santa Fe. The movie’s director, Joel Souza, was hit and wounded by the same .45-calibre bullet that killed Hutchins. According to a police report, David Halls, the assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin, told the actor it was “cold,” an industry term meaning it did not contain live rounds.

Halls signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, Carmack-Altwies said in her statement. Gutierrez-Reed had handled the gun before Halls.

Prosecutors told the New York Times it was part of industry standards for actors to check that guns they used were safe to handle and they should never point them at anyone. Baldwin has pushed back at that idea, saying firearm safety was the responsibility of the armourer, first director and others.

Charges by month-end

“You should not point a gun at someone that you’re not willing to shoot,” Carmack-Altwies said in an interview with the New York Times yesterday. Charges will be filed by the end of January, she said.