Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The 42-year-old was tragically killed on the set of Rust in New Mexico back in October 2021, after a prop gun Alec was holding went off during a rehearsal.
New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies confirmed on Thursday that actor and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will both be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
She said in a statement: “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.”
Additionally, assistant director David Halls has signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
The statement said the terms “include a suspended sentence and six months of probation”.
Alec and Hannah will be “charged in the alternative” with the two counts of manslaughter.
This means that a jury would decide not simply if they were guilty, but under which definition of involuntary manslaughter they were guilty.
Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor appointed by the DA to the case, said: “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.”
Alec broke down in tears as he spoke about Halyna’s death for the first time during an ABC News Special in December 2021.
During the televised interview, Alec insisted he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the gun that killed Halyna.
Recalling the day of the shooting, which occurred on set in New Mexico on October 21, Alec said he was rehearsing a scene with Halyna, who was directing his every move.
“She’s guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle,” he said. “I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit.”
In order to get the shot, the actor said he needed to cock the gun – but not fire it.
“I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off,” he recalled.
When asked if he pulled the trigger of the gun, Alec replied: “No, no, no, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”
The actor said he “would go to any lengths to undo what happened”, but insisted he doesn’t feel responsible for Halyna’s death.
“Honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might’ve killed myself if I thought that I was responsible. And I don’t say that lightly,” he confessed.
“I don’t know what happened on that set. Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
“I feel that… someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” he said.
Alec also said at the time that he didn’t believe he will face criminal charges over the incident.
The 64-year-old said he was told the gun was “safe” by crew members in charge of checking weapons, and insisted he has “nothing to hide”
“I’ve been told by people in the know… that it is highly unlikely I would be charged with anything criminally,” he told viewers.
