Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the accidental death of cinematographer Halyan Hutchins on the set of the film ‘Rust’.
According to prosecuters, if found guilty, Baldwin and Reed would face up to 18 months in prison and a $5000 fine.
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has said that the decision to charge Baldwin was made after doing a thorough review of the evidence and laws. Stating that no one is above the law, she said, “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Baldwin’s lawyers have responded by pointing out the charge was ” terrible miscarriage of justice” as the actor had relied on professionals on set to assure him he can pull the trigger
“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” he said.
“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,” the actor’s lawyers said.
Baldwin was handed the gun by Assistant-Director Dave Halls, who told him that it was cold- which means a weapon is safe to use. Baldwin then pointed the gun at Hutchins and pulled the trigger, hitting the cinematographer in the chest. She died of her wounds in the hospital. The incident sent shock waves around Hollywood and called for better safety protocols on film sets.
In his first sit down interview with ABC, the ‘Beetlejuice’ actor released details of how the accident happened when Hutchins was guiding Baldwin on how to hold the gun for a certain angle in a film scene:
“So then I said to her ‘Now in this scene, I’m going to cock the gun.’ I said, ‘Do you want to see that?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So I take the gun, and I start to cock the gun. I’m not going to pull the trigger,” Baldwin told Geroge Stephanopoulos. “I said, ‘Do you see the shot? ‘Well just cheat it down and tilt it down a little bit like that.’ And I cock the gun and I go ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And she says — and I let go of the hammer of the gun and the gun goes off.”
Tag: Alec Baldwin
-
Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter in ‘Rust’ film shooting
-
‘It could be’: Alec Baldwin admits career could be over after fatal shooting on film set
Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin has admitted that his career could be over after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust.
The 63-year-old actor admitted it in an interview to George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, adding that he did not care.
The actor accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Hutchins when a prop gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western in New Mexico.
In his first interview since her death in October, Baldwin told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos he dreams about the incident “constantly”, adding: “I couldn’t give a s**t about my career anymore.”
Stephanopoulos then asked Baldwin, “Is it over?”, to which he replied: “It could be.”
Baldwin said he cocked the gun that killed Hutchins but “didn’t pull the trigger”.
On the day of the shooting, Baldwin told Stephanopoulos he and Hutchins met to rehearse a scene in which he was playing a character who drew his weapon on two foes.
Baldwin recalled that during the rehearsal, the film’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him a revolver and told him “this is a cold gun” – an industry term for a weapon that is either empty or loaded with dummy rounds.
The actor said Hutchins proceeded to instruct him on where and how to hold the weapon, “which ended up being aimed right below her armpit”.
In order to get a particular shot, Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun but not fire it.
He said: “I cock the gun. I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’”
“And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”
Stephanopoulos then asked if Baldwin ever pulled the trigger.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Baldwin replied. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”
The actor was also asked if he felt any personal responsibility for Hutchins’ death.
“No. no. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly,” Baldwin said.
“I don’t know what happened on that set. Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
“Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Although there has been speculation that Baldwin could face criminal charges over the incident, he told Stephanopolous people “in the know” believe that to be “highly unlikely”.
However, he said the events of the day continue to weigh on him.
“I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse.”
-
American actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots woman on movie set
American actor Alec Baldwin accidentally fired a prop gun on a New Mexico film set, a woman has died and a man has been injured.
As per details, the woman, Halyna Hutchins, was flown to hospital by helicopter but died of her injuries. The man, director Joel Souza, was receiving emergency care.
A spokesperson for Baldwin told AP news agency the incident involved the misfiring of a prop gun with blanks.
Hutchins, 42, was working on the set as director of photography. Souza, 48, was taken from the scene by ambulance, but details of his injuries have not been disclosed.
Police are still investigating the incident at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location, and no charges have been filed.
In a statement to AFP news agency, a Santa Fe sheriff spokesman said Mr Baldwin had spoken to detectives.
“He came in voluntarily and he left the building after he finished his interviews,” the spokesman said.
According to her personal website, Hutchins was from Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. She studied journalism in Kyiv, and film in Los Angeles, and was named a “rising star” by the American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.
She was the director of photography for the 2020 action film Archenemy, directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer.
“I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set,” Mortimer said in a tweet.