Santa Fe prosecutors on Tuesday filed charges of two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust.”
They alleged the actor had not been properly trained to handle the weapon that ultimately killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer of the film, was also charged with the same two counts of involuntary manslaughter. David Halls, the assistant director of “Rust” who was also involved in handling the gun that killed Hutchins, signed a plea deal, suspending his sentence and granting him six months of probation.
“Today, we have taken another important step in securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said. “In New Mexico, no one is above the law and justice will be served.”
Baldwin’s attorneys did not immediately provide a comment.
Baldwin had been “distracted and consistently talking on his cell phone to his family,” during what had intended to be a more than one-hour firearm-training session, according to a statement of probable cause that was filed in conjunction with the charges. Due to Baldwin’s distractions, the training he received was estimated to be 30 minutes, according to the DA’s statement.
In addition to being the star of the film, Baldwin was one of the producers, deeming him responsible for upholding the safety protocols and for hiring Gutierrez-Reed despite her lack of qualifications.
“Baldwin, by act or omission or failure to act in his position as a producer directly contributed and/or failed to mitigate reckless and dangerous actions during a very short time period,” alleges the DA’s office, which claims that at least a dozen “acts or omissions of recklessness” took place on the day of the shooting alone.
According to the probable cause statement, Baldwin has “asserted publicly that he is an ‘…expert…’ in the realm of firearms and filmmaking.”
“Reed knew Baldwin required more training,” which…
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