Actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons specialist will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set, prosecutors announced Thursday, citing a \u201ccriminal disregard for safety.\u201d
\nSanta Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement announcing the charges against Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons on the set of the Western \u201cRust.\u201d
\nHalyna Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza.
\nAssistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun, has signed an agreement to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, the district attorney\u2019s office said.
\nThe decision to charge Baldwin marked a stunning fall for an A-list actor whose 40-year career included the early blockbuster \u201cThe Hunt for Red October\u201d and a starring role in the sitcom \u201c30 Rock,\u201d as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese\u2019s \u201cThe Departed\u201d and a film adaptation of David Mamet\u2019s \u201cGlengary Glen Ross.\u201d In recent years, he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on \u201cSaturday Night Live.\u201d
\nThe district attorney said Baldwin\u2019s involvement as a producer and as the actor who fired the gun weighed in the decision to file charges.
\n\u201cThis set was really being run pretty fast and loose, and he knew or he should have known that there had been misfires, that there were safety concerns, that multiple people had brought them up,\u201d Carmack-Altwies told The Associated Press in an interview. The fact that Baldwin was \u201cthe actor that held the gun, that pointed the gun and that pulled the trigger\u201d also contributed.
\nInvoluntary manslaughter can involve a killing that happens while a defendant is doing something that is lawful but dangerous and is acting negligently or without caution.
\nThe charge is a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law. The charge also includes a provision that could result in a mandatory five years in prison because the offense was committed with a gun.
\nThe district attorney said charges will be filed by the end of January, and that Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be issued a summons to appear in court. She said prosecutors will forgo a grand jury and rely on a judge to determine if there is probable cause to move toward trial.<\/p>\n