American Actor Alec Baldwin has been officially charged with involuntary manslaughter following the death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.
It would be recalled that Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the set of independent movie Rust in October 2021, accidentally striking and killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza who survived.
On Tuesday, January 31, the 64-year-old and the films armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were both charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act.
In a copy of the court documents, it was alleged that Baldwin knew the drill … that the armourer should have been present, checking the gun to make sure it was safe. It was also alleged that he relied on the assistant director who had no authority to clear the weapon for use.
Asides from also alleging that the armourer failed to undergo firearm training, disclosing that there are multiple photos and videos that clearly show Baldwin with his finger on the trigger.
According to the statement of probable cause, Baldwin had only received minimal training on firearms even despite requests from Gutierrez-Reed.
Whether guided by (Hutchins) directions or not, Baldwin knew the first rule of gun safety is never point a gun at someone you don’t intend on shooting.
In addition, always assume a gun is loaded. Had Baldwin performed the required safety checks with the armorer, Reed, this tragedy would not have occurred.
The Santa Fe DA said after failing to appear for mandatory firearms training, Baldwin was given a 30-minute on-set training session, during which he was distracted by talking to his family on the phone.
The on-set and limited time of training does not comport to industry standards and evidence shows Baldwin was in a position to manage, oversee, commence, and require safety training to industry standards,the probable cause statement read. Baldwin’s failure to ensure minimum standards were met is considered reckless in the industry.
Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are now facing up to five years behind bars if convicted. Special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb told journalists
