Actor and producer Alec Baldwin is going to be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said Thursday morning according to multiple reports.
Set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will also be charged in relation to the 2021 shooting on the set of the film “Rust.”
Among other things, Carmack-Altwies said that “an actor doesn’t get a free pass just because they’re an actor,” in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
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“Every person that handles a gun has a duty to make sure, if they are going to handle that gun, point it at someone and pull the trigger, that it is not going to fire a projectile and kill someone, and this is really about justice for Halyna Hutchins.
“We’ve talked to many actors, A-list and otherwise, that have said that they always check their guns or they have someone check it in front of them,” she said.
“And that’s what’s so important… We’re saying that here in New Mexico, everyone is equal under the law.”
“There was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set,” she said earlier in the video.
“There were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with regular dummy rounds, nobody was checking those, or at least they weren’t checking them consistently — and then they somehow got loaded into a gun, handed off to Alec Baldwin.
“He didn’t check it. He didn’t do any of the things that he was supposed to do to make sure that he was safe or that anyone around him was safe, and then he pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins, and he pulled the trigger.”
A conviction on a charge of involuntary manslaughter could lead to up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Deadline.
The attorney for Hutchins’ family, Brian J. Panish, said, “We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life,” according to Deadline.
“Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.”
For their part, the attorneys for both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have said they will fight the charges.
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice,” Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas said, according to CNN.
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys Jason Bowles and Todd J. Bullion told Yahoo! Entertainent that “Hannah is, and has always been, very emotional and sad about this tragic accident. But she did not commit involuntary manslaughter.
“These charges are the result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. We intend to bring the full truth to light and believe Hannah will be exonerated of wrongdoing by a jury.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
