Veteran Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with manslaughter in the 2021 accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. The shooting occurred at a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico in October 2021, where the movie was being filmed.
Along with Alec, the film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, will also be charged with manslaughter. Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the charges Thursday, adding that they would be filed by the end of the month.
If convicted, both Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed will face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. This decision comes 15 months after the fatal shooting accident in October 2021, which occurred when a prop gun Baldwin was holding went off on set when the actor was reportedly rehearsing the scene.
Lawyers for both said they intended to fight the charges in court. According to the BBC, Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, called the decision “a terrible miscarriage of law.”
“Mr Baldwin had no reason to believe that there was a live bullet in the gun, or in any part of the film set,” Nikas said in his statement to the BBC. “He trusted the professionals he worked with, who assured him that the weapon did not have live bullets. We will fight these charges and we will win,” said Luke Nikas.
Also read: Alec Baldwin Pays Tribute To Halyna Hutchins One Year After ‘Rust’ Shooting Incident