Baldwin to be charged in ‘Rust’ film shooting

TAOS, N.M.— Actor Alec Baldwin faces involuntary manslaughter charges in 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 in a statement Thursday that the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, would also face involuntary manslaughter charges.

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

The announcement 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.

According to a police report, David Halls, the assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin, did not know it contained live rounds. Halls signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, CarmackAltwies said in her statement. Set armorer Gutierrez Reed had handled the gun before Halls.

“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,” Carmack-Altwies said, adding charges would be filed by month’s end. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”

The movie’s director, Joel Souza, was hit and wounded by the same .45-caliber bullet that killed Hutchins. Reuters