Grand jury in New Mexico charged the actor for a shooting on Rust set that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
Actor Alec Baldwin is facing a new involuntary manslaughter charge over the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie Rust.
A Santa Fe, New Mexico, grand jury indicted Baldwin on Friday, months after prosecutors had dismissed the same criminal charge against him.
During an October 2021 rehearsal on the set of Rust, a western drama, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when it went off, fatally striking her and wounding Joel Souza, the film’s director.
Baldwin, a co-producer and star of the film, has said he did not pull the trigger, but pulled back the hammer of the gun before it fired.
Last April, special prosecutors dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, saying the firearm might have been modified prior to the shooting and malfunctioned and that forensic analysis was warranted. But in August, prosecutors said they were considering re-filing the charges after a new analysis of the weapon was completed.
It actually is true. I worked as a safety consultant for a few film production companies for a time. While rubber replicas and airsoft guns are sometimes used, it’s extremely common that real guns are used. In these cases, industry practice is it’s the armory’s responsibility to secure these weapons, including either modifying the weapon so it cannot be fired at all, that live rounds cannot be used, or ensuring they’re not loaded with live rounds or any rounds at all when effects are added in post. I always encouraged actors to eject the magazine or cylinder and verify it’s loaded as they’d expect. Actors are incredibly busy, though, so it doesn’t happen often.
Don’t believe me? Here’s an article from an armorer discussing some of what they do, including how most firearms used are real.