Grand jury in New Mexico charged the actor for a shooting on Rust set that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Grand jury in New Mexico charged the actor for a shooting on Rust set that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Actor Alec Baldwin is facing a new involuntary manslaughter charge over the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie Rust.

A Santa Fe, New Mexico, grand jury indicted Baldwin on Friday, months after prosecutors had dismissed the same criminal charge against him.

During an October 2021 rehearsal on the set of Rust, a western drama, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when it went off, fatally striking her and wounding Joel Souza, the film’s director.

Baldwin, a co-producer and star of the film, has said he did not pull the trigger, but pulled back the hammer of the gun before it fired.

Last April, special prosecutors dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, saying the firearm might have been modified prior to the shooting and malfunctioned and that forensic analysis was warranted. But in August, prosecutors said they were considering re-filing the charges after a new analysis of the weapon was completed.

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
    927·
    10 months ago

    One of the biggest rules of gun safety is treat every gun as if it’s loaded even when as far as you know it isn’t. Regardless of how you think the ratio of culpability falls or who should be held legally accountable, he is at least partially responsible because he was the person holding the gun and aiming it at someone.

    • chaogomu@kbin.social
      363·
      10 months ago

      That’s rule number one on the shooting range, It’s not quite the same in film or on stage.

      In those cases, actors have to trust their prop master or armorer.

      Those are the people specifically hired to make sure the gun or the bullets are fake.

      Baldwin was handed a gun, and specifically told that it was cold. The person handing it over even called out for the entire set that it was a cold weapon. The director then immediately called places. Because that’s how it works.

      But the gun was not cold.

      Now, the person whose job it was to maintain those weapons was incompetent. Baldwin didn’t hire her, he didn’t hire anyone. He was one of 10 producers and mostly handled fundraising and script changes.

      But he made fun of Trump a few times, and was involved in a gun death in a Trump friendly area. In California the armorer would be facing these charges, and would have faced them as soon as the initial investigation was over, not several years later.

      • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
        318·
        10 months ago

        Baldwin was handed a gun, and specifically told that it was cold.

        Source please? Everywhere I’ve read about this it was said that he took a gun to play with it. Not a part of any procedure.

        Of course if it was like what you are describing, then I’m wrong.

        • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
          3·
          10 months ago

          The conservative media outlets have been spreading bullshit about this. They hate Baldwin for making fun of donnie diapers.