Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust”.
The Santa Fe district attorney is also charging the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. They’re actually facing two counts of manslaughter, each.
Assistant Director David Halls signed a plea agreement for the charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Alec claims Halls handed him the weapon and said it was safe, just before it went off.
Alec’s attorney said the decision to charge him, quote, “represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.”
He added that Baldwin, quote, “relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds… [He] had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun, or anywhere on the movie set.”
As for why Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are each facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter, it’s because one of them includes a “firearm enhancement.”
A jury will have to decide which version of the crime each of them is guilty of. The version with the enhancement comes with a mandatory five-year prison sentence.
Otherwise, it’s a much more lenient 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A preliminary hearing is about two months away.
The DA said, quote, “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.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter
