Why was Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter?

Alec Baldwin, the star of the upcoming western picture Rust, has reportedly been charged with involuntary manslaughter for the deadly shooting of a cinematographer on location.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s weapons supervisor, was also arrested and accused of involuntary manslaughter after the 2021 incident in New Mexico. Without making any public appearances, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the charges on Thursday through a statement and social media.

After being shot on October 21, 2021, while preparing for a scene at the property outside of Santa Fe, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died soon after. Baldwin had a gun pointed at Hutchins, and it went off, killing Hutchins and injuring the director, Joel Souza.

What happened during the filming of Rust?

The original inquiry into Hutchins’ death was undertaken by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who indicated “a degree of carelessness” on the film set. After handing over the findings of a year-long inquiry in October, he decided to let prosecutors chose whether or not to press criminal charges. The statement did not elaborate on how real bullets got onto the movie set.

Carmack-Altwies took charge of the inquiry and immediately requested $300,000 to hire a special prosecutor, a special investigator, and other specialists and professionals from the state.

After conducting an autopsy and reviewing law enforcement records, the medical investigator’s office in New Mexico concluded that the gunshot was accidental.

Alec Baldwin tries to clear his name of any wrong doing

Baldwin, renowned for his appearances in 30 Rock and The Hunt for Red October and his portrayal of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, has called Hutchins’ death a “tragic accident.”

He’s taken legal action to clear his reputation by suing anyone who had contact with the loaded rifle that was given to him on set. Baldwin, a co-producer on Rust, said he was assured the weapon was secure.

Baldwin claims in his complaint that he and Hutchins were rehearsing a scenario when he aimed the pistol at her, drew back, and released the hammer, causing the gun to fire.

Based on a damning narrative of safety failings, including evidence that production management took minimal or no action to remedy two misfires of blank ammunition on set prior to the deadly shooting, the New Mexico occupational health and safety bureau has imposed the maximum penalties on Rust Movie Productions.

Producers at Rust Movie Productions are still disputing the reasoning for a $137,000 punishment levied by authorities for allegedly lax gun safety procedures on set.

Much of the focus of the investigation has been on Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer who monitored the weaponry on set, as well as a third-party ammo supplier. An attorney representing Gutierrez Reed claims the armorer intentionally did not load live ammunition onto the weapon that killed Hutchins. However, the authorities said they had not discovered any such proof.