Alec Baldwin will not be charged with the shooting of ‘Rust’ director

Alec Baldwin will not be charged with the shooting of ‘Rust’ director Joel Souza despite the fact that he was hit by the same bullet that the Sante Fe District Attorney says killed cinematographer Halya Hutchins.

The Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office told TMZ, “that there was no crime when it comes to the Souza Incident.” The announcement comes just three days after Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting the film’s cinematographer on the ‘Rust’ set on October 21, 2021.

The D.A. went on to explain the only way to characterize the shooting of Souza is “unintentional battery,” and no criminal definition exists. A battery requires intent and the D.A. confirms that Baldwin had no intention to hurt anyone. The current case presented against Baldwin is rooted in alleged recklessness.

What happened on set?

Souza was hit by the same bullet that killed Hutchins but was only injured. Details on the severity of his injury were not released. However, at the time of the incident, Souza was transported to St. Vincent Regional Medical Center by ambulance for care.

As of now, Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the incident on the New Mexico set. Despite the ongoing legal proceedings and public scrutiny, production on the set of ‘Rust’ has continued. However, the set has been moved to California while the criminal trial is prepared in New Mexico. California also has stricter gun regulations and more defined laws about safely storing and handling firearms.

Fellow actor speaks out

In an interview with TMZ, actor Douglas Stewart, who was involved in ‘Rust’ before the fatal incident claims he’s been on movie sets with guns before and never in his experience as an actor had to check the chamber of a gun. In fact, they are prohibited from doing so, with Stewart adding that they rely on the expert on set, the armorer.

If Baldwin or Guiterrez-Reed are convicted, the fourth-degree felony is punishable by up to a year and a half in jail and a $5,000 fine. The charges also include a provision that may result in a mandatory five years in prison as the offense was committed with a gun. Continued production of ‘Rust’ may be obstructed as Baldwin will be issued a summon to appear in court and there is the possibility of the charges going to trial.