After the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will both be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to prosecutors in New Mexico on Thursday.
The fatal incident occurred during rehearsals for the western film Rust on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin was starring in and producing the film.
The shooting happened during setup for a scene on a ranch located at the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021.
Hutchins was shot in the chest and succumbed to her injuries.
The bullet also wounded director Joel Souza.
Since the shooting, Baldwin has been adamant in saying he was not aware the gun contained a live round before pulling the trigger.
The film’s assistant director Dave Halls has agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of deadly weapon.
The Hutchins family said in a statement through their attorney, “No one is above the law.”
“We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life,” the cinematographer’s family said through lawyer Brian Panish.
Just hours before the shooting, seven crew members reportedly walked off the set over poor working conditions.
Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins and son Andros settled a lawsuit against the film’s producers, under an agreement that seeks to restart filming of the movie, with Matthew’s involvement as executive producer.
Charges will be formally filed with New Mexico’s First Judicial District Court before the end of the month.
