A grand jury in the US State of New Mexico on Friday issued a new involuntary manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin, following the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie 'Rust’ in 2021. Previous charges against the actor were dropped in April. last year, just two weeks before the criminal trial was due to begin.
In October 2021, during rehearsals for the western drama, the Colt .45 pistol Baldwin was holding went off, fatally shooting 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins and wounding the film’s director, Joel Souza. Baldwin, who also produced the film, admitted to authorities that he did not pull the trigger, but that he pulled back the hammer before the shot was fired.
Baldwin also argued that he was not at fault for Hutchins’ death because he was unaware that the firearm was loaded with live rounds, as live ammunition was not allowed on the set.
The first charge was rejected by special prosecutors after an analysis last year determined that the firearm might have been modified and was probably fired as a result of a malfunction.
But a secondary analysis conducted in August found that although Baldwin denied pulling the trigger, „Given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the evidence gun’s fully cocked or retracted hammer.”
The new analysis was presented to a grand jury in Santa Fe on Thursday, and a single indictment was filed against Baldwin on Friday; Exactly one year after the first involuntary manslaughter charge was issued.
If convicted, he faces up to 18 months in prison. The actor’s legal representatives told British public broadcaster BBC: “I look forward to our day in court.” Baldwin talking about himself “shock and sadness” He said in court filings following Hutchins’ death that he had trouble finding acting work after the shooting.
Hutchins’ family made a statement through their lawyer Gloria Allred and said: “We have always sought the truth about what happened the day Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed.” He added: “They continue to seek the truth for themselves in our civil case, and they also want there to be accountability in the criminal justice system.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for gun control on the 'Rust’ set, had previously been charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence related to the shooting. His trial is scheduled to begin in February.
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