31 January 2023 , 21:19
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Alec Baldwin has been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter over the shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Mother-of-one Hutchins was killed on the set of Rust in October 2021 when Baldwin discharged a prop gun, which also injured the film's director Joel Souza.
Halyna, 42, was airlifted to hospital from the New Mexico set, but died of her injuries.
Both Baldwin and the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the death of Ms Hutchins on the film’s Santa Fe County set - a charge that carries a maximum of 18 months in prison.
Halyna was fatally shot on the set of Rust last year (Halyna Hutchins/Instagram)
Alec is charged with involuntary manslaughter (Getty Images for SiriusXM)Baldwin has since vowed to fight the charges his lawyer calls a "terrible miscarriage of justice".
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Hutchins' family welcomed the charges back in January, saying Hollywood star Alec showed "conscious disregard for human life".
Assistant director David Halls signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, the DA’s office said.
No charges will be filed specific to the non-fatal shooting of Rust director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has since vowed to fight the charges (Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office)"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," attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said earlier this month.
"On my watch, no-one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice."
The decision comes less than three months after the DA's office received the final report from the Sheriff’s Office into the tragic incident.
Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna when it went off on October 21, killing her and wounding the director, Joel.
Alec was pointing a gun at Halyna when it went off (AFP via Getty Images)Halyna was taken to a hospital in New Mexico where she later died from her injuries. The crew had been inside a small church during setup for filming a scene.
The FBI report on the incident claimed the prop weapon "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger".
However, Alec has always denied that he did so. He said a bullet could be fired without the trigger being pulled through a process called "fanning".
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