The actors union SAG-AFTRA has voiced its support for actor Alec Baldwin, branding prosecutors "wrong and uninformed" for charging him with involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot dead on the set of Rust in October 2021.
Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot after a prop gun, which Baldwin was holding at the time, misfired. Director Joel Souza was also hurt in the accident. The gun used during the incident contained live rounds.
In October last year, Baldwin - who is a producer and actor in the movie - as well as other producers on the film settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hutchins' widower Matthew.
Now, the SNL star, 64, and Gutierrez-Reed, 25, have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and special prosecutor Andrea Reeb announced.
Reeb said the mom of one would still be alive if the three defendants had done "their job."
But SAG-AFTRA, which referred to the shooting as a preventable "tragedy", said in a statement on Thursday that Hutchins' death isn’t "a failure of duty or a criminal act on the part of any performer," via The Hollywood Reporter.
"The prosecutor’s contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed," the union said. "An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert."
Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas has since responded to the prosecutors' decision to charge the actor in a statement on Thursday, saying: "This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.
"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."
Meanwhile, Jason Bowles and Todd J. Bullion, Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys, said in a statement: "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."
In another statement, Brian J. Panish - an attorney for the Hutchins family - said on behalf of the family: "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."
"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," Panish added. "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."