A district attorney in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has not ruled out criminal charges over the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, a spokesperson confirmed on October 26.
The 42-year-old cinematographer was accidentally killed on October 21 after actor Alec Baldwin fired a Colt revolver that had been loaded with live ammunition — unbeknownst to him.
The incident, which took place on the set of the film Rust, also resulted in the film's director being injured.
"We haven’t ruled out anything," district attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, said during a telephone interview, per The New York Times.
"Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table."
Carmack-Altwies said that the verbiage, "prop gun", is misleading and that the firearm that killed Hutchins was a "legit gun," which she described as an "antique-era appropriate gun."
The New York Times further detailed that the district attorney said that the investigation was now focusing on ballistics in order to determine what kind of round was in the gun, and who had placed ammunition in it.
"There were an enormous amount of bullets on this set, and we need to find out what kinds they were," Carmack-Altwies said.
On Monday, a New York Times inventory was released, and detectives announced that they had recovered three revolvers, spent casting and ammunition — found loose, in boxes, and in a small bag. They did not specify what kind of ammunition they had found.
Carmack-Altwies added that she was aware of news reports claiming that crew members had used firearms with live ammunition just hours before Hutchins' death, but said that these rumors were "unconfirmed".
In regards to a possible timeline, the district attorney disclosed that people are still being interviewed by law enforcement: "It’s probably weeks, if not months, of follow-up investigation that we’re going to need to get to the point of charging.
"We have complex cases all the time. But this kind of complex case, with these kinds of prominent people, no."
Baldwin took to Twitter to issue a statement on October 22, saying that his "heart is broken" following the death of Hutchins.
"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours," the actor wrote.
"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
