New Mexico prosecutors have recharged Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2021 “Rust” shooting that killed a cinematographer.
NBC News reported that Baldwin was indicted for involuntary manslaughter after a special grand jury reviewed his case. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger of the gun that fatally shot Halyna Hutchins in the chest and wounded director Joel Souza in his shoulder.
READ: Alec Baldwin To Be Recharged With Involuntary Manslaughter in Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting
Baldwin has claimed he was showing how he would pull a gun from the holster when the weapon fired in a mock church pew at Bonanza Creek Ranch — leading to a single bullet traveling through Souza’s shoulder which then struck Hutchins.
Baldwin told officers that he believed the gun was cold when he was rehearsing a cross draw. However, the FBI’s investigation concluded that the gun could not have been fired without someone pulling the trigger.
Though Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, prosecutors dropped the charges in April 2023. At the time, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said they needed additional time to investigate new information presented to them, and that their review would not be completed before Baldwin’s preliminary hearing. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled at a later date.
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is scheduled to stand trial in February on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. Reed said that weapons supplier Seth Kenney, not her, was responsible for mixing live and dummy rounds.
Variety reported that last fall, Reed was offered leniency if she provided the source of the live bullet that killed Hutchins. She was reportedly also told she would face harsher charges if she lied. Despite this, the source of the live rounds remains a mystery.
Production on “Rust” resumed in April.
This story is developing…
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[Featured image: Alec Baldwin/AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File and Halyna Hutchins/Instagram]
