According to Variety, involuntary manslaughter charges will be brought against Alec Baldwin and Rust weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez Reed in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
On Thursday, prosecutors will file charges against Baldwin, who fired the shot that struck and killed Hutchins while the low-budget western was being made, and armorer Gutierrez Reed, who loaded the gun. Each of the two of them has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum jail term of 18 months. Dave Halls, the first assistant director of Rust, has agreed to admit guilt to the accusation of “negligent use of a deadly weapon”; he will not go to prison but must complete six months of probation instead.
“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,” said prosecutor Andrea Reeb. “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.”
Baldwin has maintained throughout the investigation into Hutchins’ death, which happened in October 2021, that Halls assured him the firearm was “cold” and only had dummy rounds. One live bullet, which killed Hutchins by striking him in the torso and director Joel Souza in the shoulder, was discovered to be in the weapon. Hutchins was transported to an Albuquerque hospital and later declared dead. Baldwin has claimed that Hutchins’ death was not his fault and has blamed Halls, Gutierrez-Reed, and other people.