Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter after fatal set shooting
The actor Alec Baldwin will face charges for the fatal set shooting that took place in 2021.
Baldwin mistakenly fired a gun on the film set of forthcoming Western film Rust which killed a cinematographer called Halyna Hutchens. The New Mexico District Attorney revealed at 4pm today that the actor has been charged with two counts of manslaughter.
Baldwin has admitted to holding the gun on the set but said he was unaware the prop contained live ammunition.
New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the decision was made because of her “commitment to pursue justice for all victims”.
Her statement goes on to say the terms of the charge “include a suspended sentence and six months of probation. A copy of the plea agreement will be available after it has been filed with the court”.
She added: “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. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Andrea Reeb, special prosecutor appointed by the DA to the case, added: “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. It’s that simple.”
“The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the Rust film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.”
Baldwin has previously defended his behaviour, saying: “All my career, without incident, I’ve relied on the safety experts [on set] to declare the gun safe and never had a problem…And [then,] this happened.”
The tragedy has instigated discussions around on-set safety as the industry bands together to examine how exactly the incident was allowed to happen.