Actor Alec Baldwin who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the movie “Rust” in 2021, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter prosecutors said Thursday. Baldwin has maintained he was not aware the gun he fired on set contained a live round. Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, CNN reports. The shooting of two film crew members by Baldwin during a rehearsal of the Western film in New Mexico in October 2021 has resulted in a whirlwind of finger-pointing and allegations of negligence from those involved.
Film cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was struck and killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun being held by Baldwin, who maintains he did not pull the gun’s trigger. Director Joel Souza was also injured. In the summary of the postmortem investigation by the New Mexico chief medical investigator, the cause of death is listed as “gunshot wound of chest,” and the manner of death is listed as an “accident.” “Review of available law enforcement reports showed no compelling demonstration that the firearm was intentionally loaded with live ammunition on set. Based on all available information, including the absence of obvious intent to cause harm or death, the manner of death is best classified as accident,” the report concluded. An FBI forensics report said the weapon could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked. The report also noted the gun eventually malfunctioned during testing after internal parts fractured, which caused the gun to go off in the cocked position without pulling the trigger. Baldwin placed responsibility for the tragedy on Gutierrez Reed and assistant director Dave Halls, who handed him the gun. In November, Baldwin filed suit against the two and other individuals associated with the film.