Prosecutors to Recharge Alec Baldwin For Fatal Shooting of Cinematographer
Prosecutors plan to re-charge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film set for Rust.
In April, prosecutors in Santa Fe, New Mexico had dropped the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin.
At the time, prosecutors said that they had been informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. However, they left open the possibility of refiling the case against Baldwin.
Now, according to a report by NBC News on Tuesday, New Mexico prosecutors intend to recharge actor Alec Baldwin.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey says that Baldwin’s case will be brought before a grand jury in mid-November.
The move followed results of an independent forensic test that found Baldwin had to have pulled the trigger of a revolver he was rehearsing with for it to fire the live round that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.
“We believe that based on our lengthy and detailed investigation that it is appropriate for a grand jury in New Mexico to make a decision on whether the case should proceed,” special prosecutor Kari Morrissey tells NBC News in a statement.
Baldwin was rehearsing on the Rust movie set with a gun that was not supposed to contain live ammunition when it suddenly fired a live round, killing the film’s cinematographer Hutchins.
Baldwin has long maintained he should not be held responsible for the shooting. He told authorities and reporters that he remembers pulling back the hammer of the gun, but not the trigger.
“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution,” Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro say in a statement on Tuesday.
“We will answer any charges in court.”
This charge means Baldwin could serve up to 18 months in prison if convicted. Morrisey says the prosecutors intend to begin presenting the case to a grand jury on November 16.
The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged in January with involuntary manslaughter with the trial date set for February 21, 2024.
Image credits: Feature photo licensed via Depositphotos.
