RUST SHOOTING
Alec Baldwin charged again with involuntary manslaughter over Rust shooting
Baldwin, 65, has been recharged over the October 2021 shooting in which Rust director of photography Halyna Hutchins was killed.
The actor Alec Baldwin has again been charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust in 2021.
Grand jury votes to recharge Baldwin
In October, New Mexico prosecutors had announced that they planned to present their case to a Santa Fe grand jury to determine whether there was probable cause to charge Baldwin, who was holding the firearm that shot and killed Rust’s director of photography, Halyna Hutchins.
According to widespread reports, the grand jury recommended new charges be filed after fresh analysis by forensic experts contradicted Baldwin’s claim that he did not pull the trigger on the gun.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s attorneys said, per NBC News. If he is convicted, he faces up to 18 months in prison.
Baldwin was initially formally accused of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, before charges against the actor were dropped in April.
What happened on the set of Rust in 2021?
Hutchins was killed on 21 October 2021 when Rust star Baldwin, who also produces and co-wrote the film, accidentally fired a Colt .45 pistol while rehearsing for a gunfight scene.
The 65-year-old had been practising drawing the gun when it went off. The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest, travelled through her body and hit director Joel Souza in the shoulder.
Hutchins was taken by helicopter to the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, where she was declared dead. Souza was admitted to hospital in Santa Fe, but was released the following day.
Baldwin has insisted that he drew back the hammer but did not pull the trigger, and that he was told the firearm was not loaded with live rounds.
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