Alec Baldwin officially accused of filming Rust

Alec Baldwin was charged with two counts of manslaughter by Santa Fe prosecutors on Tuesday for shooting fatally on the set of Rust.

They claimed that the actor was not properly trained in the use of the weapon that ended up killing cinematographer Galina Hutchins.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, the film’s gunsmith, was also charged with the same two counts of manslaughter. David Halls, an assistant director on The Rust who was also involved in handling the weapon that killed Hutchins, signed a plea agreement, suspending his sentence and giving him six months’ probation.

“Today we took another important step in bringing justice to Halina Hutchins,” Attorney for the First Judicial District of New Mexico Mary Carmack-Altvis said. “In New Mexico, no one is above the law, and justice will be done.”

Baldwin’s lawyers did not immediately comment.

According to a statement of probable cause that was filed with the charges, Baldwin was “distracted and constantly talking on his cell phone with his family” during what was to be more than an hour of weapons practice. Due to Baldwin’s distractions, the practice took 30 minutes, according to the district attorney’s statement.

In addition to being the star of the film, Baldwin co-produced The Rust, holding him more responsible for enforcing security protocols and for hiring Gutierrez-Reid despite her lack of qualifications.

“Baldwin, through his actions, omissions, or inactions as a producer, directly contributed to and/or failed to mitigate reckless and dangerous actions within a very short period of time,” asserts the DA’s office, which alleges that at least a dozen “actions or omissions on negligence” took place only on the day of the execution.

According to a probable cause statement, Baldwin “has publicly stated that he is ‘… an expert…’ in firearms and filmmaking.”

“Reid knew Baldwin needed more training” that “could have prevented the fatal shooting,” prosecutors said, citing Gutierrez-Reid’s statement in her testimony.

Hours before filming began, half a dozen crew members left the set to protest the poor working conditions and safety regulations, the source said. report from the LA Times.

Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reid rejected the claim of probable cause, saying the district attorney “utterly misinterpreted the facts” and “came to the wrong conclusions.” They also said she was “refused and brushed off” when she pleaded for more firearms training.

“The production told her to focus on the props. Hannah asked Holles if they could give us a plastic gun for the rehearsal scene and he said no, wanting a “real gun”. Hanna asked to be called back to the church if Baldwin was going to use the gun at all and Halls was unable to do so,” attorneys for Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion said in a statement.

“However, the district attorney placed Halls on 6 months’ probation for a misdemeanor and charged Hannah and Baldwin with felonies that carry a minimum of 5 years in prison. The tragedy is that if Halls had just called Hannah back to the church, she would have checked and prevented this tragedy,” they added.

Earlier this month, authorities announced they would open a criminal investigation into the case.

Documents filed in connection with the allegations state that Baldwin was not properly trained in the use of the weapon that killed Hutchins and wounded Joel Sousa, the film’s director.

The Santa Fe District Attorney’s testimony also alleges that Gutierrez-Reed was not suitable for the role of a gunsmith in the film because she “had neither a certificate, nor certified training, nor a union ‘card’ for the practice, and that she admitted to being a gunsmith.” only one film prior to this production.”

Baldwin, the film’s star, and Gutierrez-Reed, the gunsmith in charge of the film’s gun handling, are charged with two counts of manslaughter. Both are felonies that carry a $5,000 fine, but one includes an 18-month term and the other a 5-year term.

The two were charged under a standard called “indictment under the alternative”, which means the jury will decide which of the two counts of manslaughter applies.