Alec Baldwin will be charged with manslaughter I MundoNOW

Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
A weapons specialist on the set of the film will also be charged.
Halyna Hutchins was killed in an accidental shooting on a movie set.

Actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons specialist will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of a female cinematographer who died on a set in New Mexico, prosecutors announced Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement announcing the charges against Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who supervised guns on the set of the western movie Rust. Halyna Hutchins was killed shortly after being injured during rehearsals at a ranch outside of Santa Fe on October 21, 2021.

HOW DID THE TRAGEDY HAPPEN?

Baldwin was pointing the gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing the cinematographer and wounding the director, Joel Souza. Assistant principal David Halls, who had given Baldwin the weapon, signed an agreement to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, the district attorney’s office said.

Involuntary manslaughter can involve a death that occurs when a defendant does something that is legal, but dangerous and acts recklessly or carelessly. The charge is a felony and is punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law.

WHAT DO THE CHARGES AGAINST ALEC BALDWIN INCLUDE?

The charges also include a clause that could result in a mandatory five-year prison sentence as the crime was committed with a firearm. Santa Fe County Police Chief Adan Mendoza, who led the initial investigation into Hutchins’ death, described «a degree of negligence» on the film set.

Mendoza said he left the decisions on possible criminal charges to prosecutors after delivering the results of a year-long investigation in October, according to The Associated Press. That report did not specify how a live bullet ended up in the gun. Baldwin — famous for his roles in 30 Rock and The Hunt for Red October as well as his parody of former President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live — has called the death a «tragic accident». Filed Under: Alec Baldwin charged with manslaughter

ALEC BALDWIN SOUGHT TO CLEAR HIS NAME

Baldwin sought to clear his name by suing the people involved in the handling of the gun he used on set. Baldwin, who is also a co-producer of Rust, said he was told the gun was safe to use. In his lawsuit, Baldwin claimed that, while working on camera angles with Hutchins during rehearsal for a scene, he pointed the gun in the direction of the cinematographer and pulled back on the hammer, then the gun discharged.

The New Mexico Coroner’s Office determined the shooting was an accident after conducting an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports. This case caused quite a controversy and now it seems that it will end in the worst way for the famous actor. Filed Under: Alec Baldwin charged with manslaughter

MAXIMUM FINE

The New Mexico Office of Occupational Safety and Health imposed a maximum fine against Rust Movie Productions after finding serious safety lapses, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two unplanned salvo shots in the set before the fatal shooting.

Rust Movie Productions continues to fight a $137,000 fine imposed by regulators who say on-set production managers failed to follow industry-standard protocols for firearms safety. Filed Under: Alec Baldwin charged with manslaughter