CNN’s Chloe Melas, Megan Thomas, Kevin Flower and Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
Alec Baldwin and armorer to be charged with involuntary manslaughter after fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’
CNN — Alec Baldwin, the actor who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust” in 2021, and the film’s armorer will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said Thursday.
Baldwin has maintained he was not aware the gun he fired on set contained a live round.
Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said.
The shooting has resulted in a whirlwind of finger-pointing and allegations of negligence from those involved.
Hutchins was struck and killed by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun being held by Baldwin, who maintains he did not pull the gun’s trigger. Director Joel Souza was also injured.
In the summary of the postmortem investigation into Hutchins’ death – which was formally signed by the New Mexico chief medical investigator – the cause of death is listed as “gunshot wound of chest,” and the manner of death is listed as an “accident.”
“Review of available law enforcement reports showed no compelling demonstration that the firearm was intentionally loaded with live ammunition on set. Based on all available information, including the absence of obvious intent to cause harm or death, the manner of death is best classified as accident,” the report concluded.
An FBI forensics report said the weapon could not be fired during FBI testing of its normal functioning without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked. The report also noted the gun eventually malfunctioned during testing after internal parts fractured, which caused the gun to go off in the cocked position without pulling the trigger.