LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Alec Baldwin poses in the press room at the 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Overnight it was announced that Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on the set of Rust. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was hit and killed after the actor pulled the trigger on a prop gun allegedly filled with blanks on October 21, 2021. Director Joel Souza was also wounded during the incident.

New Mexico prosecutor District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies revealed the charges in a statement after a year-long investigation. “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,” Carmack-Altwies said.

Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas said the decision to file charges against the actor “represents a terrible miscarriage of justice”, per the ABC

Assistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun, reportedly signed a guilty plea agreement for negligent use of a deadly weapon.

The crew were on a film set in Santa Fe rehearsing a scene when Baldwin was handed a revolver and set off a live round. The actor has denied responsibility in the past citing that a bullet should have never been allowed on set. In a tearful interview following the incident Baldwin was adamant he did not pull the trigger.

“The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never.” Baldwin added he had “no idea” how a bullet made its way into a gun that was intended to be a prop. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun,” he said. “A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”

In New Mexico involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of $7,529 USD.

Alec Baldwin
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 21: Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin attend The American Museum of Natural History’s 2019 Museum Gala at American Museum of Natural History on November 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

According to the prosecutor, charges will be filed by the end of January with Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed set to receive a summons to attend court. They will rely on a judge only to determine probable cause to move to a trial.

More to come.

Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Turner