American actor Alec Baldwin, author of a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust in 2021, will be charged with manslaughter, a prosecutor announced Thursday.
The film’s gunwoman Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who handled the gun, is facing the same charge, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement.
On October 21, 2021, this shooting on a ranch in New Mexico had turned tragic when Mr. Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but whose very real projectile had killed the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins , 42, and injured director Joel Souza.
“After careful review of the evidence and the laws of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the film crew of Rust said Mary Carmack-Altwies.
“Under my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice,” she added.
The charges will be formally filed “by the end of the month,” said the prosecutor. If convicted, Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed risk up to 18 months in prison.
In August, the 64-year-old actor, known in particular for the series 30Rocksaid he expected no one to be charged, telling CNN that he had hired a private detective to establish responsibilities in the case.
From our archives | Alec Baldwin author of a fatal shot during the filming of a western