Alec Baldwin has been charged once again with involuntary manslaughter after the death of a crew member on his film Rust.
The 65-year-old actor was previously charged in January 2023 after cinemthatographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was tragically shot and killed on set. The incident occurred while Baldwin was practicing firing a Colt. 45 pistol in preparation for a scene in the upcoming Western film, shot near Santa Fe in October 2021.
Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded during the fatal shooting. Baldwin insists he is innocent, claiming he didn’t pull the trigger and that he only pulled back the hammer of the gun.
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He also claimed he is not at fault for Hutchins’ death as he was unaware the pistol contained live rounds and that no live ammunition was supposed to be on set. Charges against the actor were initially dropped in April when questions were raised about the functionality of the gun – two weeks before the trial was due to begin.
(Image: Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office)
The investigation was stalled as the Colt was broken during FBI testing. However a grand jury in New Mexico has charged Baldwin with a fresh count of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors in New Mexico revealed in October that they had commissioned forensic experts to reconstruct the weapon and were taking the case to a grand jury. They allege the shooting could only have occurred if the trigger was pulled.
(Image: PA)
Their report claims: “This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger.
“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
The new evidence was brought to a grand jury of 12 on Thursday (January 18) – at least eight must agree on a probable cause for new charges. If convicted, Baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison.
A video recently surfaced showing Alec firing blank bullets on the set and expressing concern for the safety of crew members. “I don’t want to shoot towards you”, he said days before the incident. In the video from NBC News, he said: “I don’t know why you’re going up hills and all this other… you’re going to break your f**king neck.”
Baldwin’s attorneys Lukas Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement to The Mirror: “We look forward to our day in court.” Alec previously told ABC News in 2021: “I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, responsible for weapons on the set of the film, faces her own manslaughter charge. She has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial next month.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
