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Actor Alec Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday for showing a “reckless” disregard for safety that led to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western movie “Rust” in New Mexico in 2021, according to court documents.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies filed charges following months of speculation as to whether she had evidence that Baldwin showed criminal negligence when a revolver with which he was rehearsing fired a live round that killed Hutchins.
Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were each charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The most serious charge – which carries a potential sentence of five years in jail – would require prosecutors to convince a jury Baldwin was not just negligent but reckless in his use of a firearm.
A lawyer for Baldwin declined to comment. Hutchins lawyer said the prosecutor had “completely misunderstood the facts and has reached the wrong conclusions.”
Baldwin’s case is remarkable in that there is little or no precedent for an actor to face criminal charges for an on-set death since the birth of Hollywood.
A probable cause statement accompanying the charges names Baldwin as both an actor and producer on the movie and says: “On the day of the shooting alone, evidence shows that no less than a dozen acts, or omissions of recklessness, occurred in the short time prior to lunch and the time of the shooting, and this does not include the reckless handling of the firearm by Baldwin.”
The “30 Rock” actor has denied responsibility for the shooting, saying Hutchins directed him to point the gun at the camera, he cocked the revolver but never pulled the trigger.
He said it was the job of Gutierrez-Reed and other weapons professionals to ensure it was unloaded, a position supported by many actors and the SAG-AFTRA…
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