Alec Baldwin has been charged following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie, Rust.
Per Sky News, 64-year-old Baldwin has officially been charged with involuntary manslaughter following the tragic death of 42-year-old Hutchins in back in October 2021. Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of the movie Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene using a prop gun when it misfired, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Since then, Baldwin has maintained his innocence, accusing the movie's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed - who has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter - of not ensuring the weapon was safe.
Dave Halls, the assistant director on the movie, has reportedly signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, per Sky News.
The decision to charge Baldwin was announced on January 19 by district attorney for New Mexico's first judicial district Mary Carmack-Altwies and special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, who stated: "Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter."
"I have determined that there is sufficient evidence [...] On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice," Carmack-Altwies added, via BBC.
At the time of the announcement, Baldwin released a statement through his lawyer Luke Nikas, who stated that officials had chosen to "distort Halyna Hutchins' tragic death" and that the decision represented "a terrible miscarriage of justice," per Sky News.
"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," Nikas said. "We will fight these charges, and we will win."
Hutchins' family has welcomed the charges, commenting on how they believed Baldwin had shown "conscious disregard for human life."
The actors union SAG-AFTRA has voiced its support for actor Alec Baldwin, branding prosecutors "wrong and uninformed" for the manslaughter charges.
Experts have also weighed in on the decision to charge Baldwin - with some describing the charges as "very aggressive".
