This news item had shocked Hollywood. American actor Alec Baldwin, author of a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust, was charged with manslaughter, announced Tuesday, January 31, the prosecutor of the county of Santa Fe (New Mexico). The gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who had handled the weapon, is targeted by the same charge. “No one is above the law and justice will be served”promised the magistrate.
On October 21, 2021, this shooting on a ranch in New Mexico had turned tragic when Alec Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but whose very real projectile had killed the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42 years old, and injured director Joel Souza.
If convicted of simple manslaughter, Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed risk up to 18 months in prison. But this sentence could be increased to a maximum of five years in prison in the event of aggravated negligence. The 64-year-old actor has always claimed that he was assured that his weapon was harmless.
Alec Baldwin deemed ‘distracted’ during exercise
The prosecutor announced her intention to prosecute on January 20. The actor’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, then denounced a “terrible miscarriage of justice”. According to him, his client “had no reason to believe a live ammunition was in the gun, or anywhere else at the shooting location”.
According to a document published Tuesday by the prosecutor, the actor appeared “distracted and talking on the phone with his family” during firearms training. He only stayed 30 minutes when the session was supposed to last “at least an hour or more”according to the account of the armourer to the investigators.
Assistant director David Halls, who had given him the weapon, informing him that it was not dangerous, will be accused of negligence when using a deadly weapon. Lawsuits he chose not to contest.