Alec Baldwin news – live: Actor to continue filming Rust after involuntary manslaughter charges

Nearly 15 months after the fatal shooting, investigators announced criminal charges over the on set fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley explains the complicated case:

After an exhaustive inquiry lasting more than 15 months, Alec Baldwin and two others have been charged over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust,

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the district attorney for New Mexico’s first judicial district, announced the charges on Thursday.

Baldwin and the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with involuntary manslaughter, while first assistant director David Halls has agreed to plead guilty to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.

The charges will be filed by the end of the month, Ms Carmack-Altwies said in a statement.

On Thursday (19 January), authorities in New Mexico announced they would charge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter. This follows the death of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer who was working on the set of the Western Rust when a gun Baldwin was holding went off, fatally injuring Hutchins.

“The question here, as posed by the authorities, is about liability, not intent,” Clemence Michallon writes for The Independent.

“Involuntary manslaughter is generally defined in New Mexico statutes as either “manslaughter committed in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to felony,” or “in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death in an unlawful manner or without due caution and circumspection.”

Mickey Rourke has spoken out in defence of Alec Baldwin, saying there is “no way in hell” he should face charges over the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Responding to the news on Instagram, Rourke wrote: “I usually never put my two cents in about what happens on someone’s movie set. It’s a terrible tragedy what happened to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But no way in hell actor Alec Baldwin should be charged with any negligence whatsoever.”

Louis Chilton has the story for The Independent:

As the news breaks that Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins, family and friends of the late cinematographer will be remembering her life and career.

Baldwin was starring in a western film called Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when a prop firearm he was holding discharged, killing Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography, and injuring the director Joul Souza, police said. Hutchins was 42 years old.

The Independent’s Ellie Muir explains the late cinematographer’s projects:

Witnesses have revealed Halyna Hutchins’s last words in the moments after she was shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of his movie Rust.

Ms Hutchins, director of photography for the Western film, died on 21 October 2021 after Mr Baldwin discharged a firearm while practising a gun-drawing technique on the set in New Mexico.

Seconds after she was struck, Ms Hutchins cried out to a boom operator: “That was no good. That was no good at all,” according to a Los Angeles Times report based on interviews with 14 crew members.

The Independent’s Megan Sheets has the story:

Both Baldwin and the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of Ms Hutchins on the film’s Santa Fe set.

In a statement, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said: “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew.

“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”

It comes less than three months after the District Attorney’s office received the final report from the police into the incident which led to the death of Ms Hutchins after a prop gun held by Baldwin was discharged.

Film production and firearms experts say movie sets probably changed permanently when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on the remote New Mexico set of the Western “Rust” 14 months ago.

The incident led to the announcement from prosecutors Thursday that Alec Baldwin and the film’s weapons supervisor will be charged with involuntary manslaughter later this month.

“The gun safety experience on set has become more vocal, it’s a lot louder,” Joey Dillon, an armourer who has overseen the use of firearms on television shows including “Westworld” and movies including “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” told The Associated Press. “I make it a lot louder myself.”

Mr Baldwin was pointing the gun with a live round inside that killed Hutchins as they set up a shot for an upcoming scene.

Alec Baldwin used his first public comment after being charged in the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins to share the news of musician David Crosby’s death.

The actor was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting on Thursday (19 January) by New Mexico district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies. The 64-year-old is one of three cast and crew members facing charges over the accidental October 2021 shooting.

Hours after his charges were announced, Baldwin tweeted about Crosby’s death rather than his own situation.

The actor first shared a link to a news article about Crosby’s death, followed by a link to an interview he did with Crosby in 2018 for his podcast, Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin.

The podcast series, in which Baldwin interviews public figures, began in 2011 and is ongoing. The most recent episode was published on 12 December, featuring an interview with US political staffer Huma Abedin.

The former Good Morning Britain presenter appeared to welcome the charges brought against Alec Baldwin on Thursday.

“There was no doubt that it was an accident but Halyna Hutchins died, leaving behind a grief-stricken husband and a young child and the person holding the gun that fired a bullet and killed her was Alec Baldwin,” Piers Morgan said.

“It was him who did that, who fired a bullet into his co-worker’s body and snuffed out her life. Nobody else’s hands were anywhere near the gun.”

“Since that tragic day, Baldwin has been the epitome of Hollywood arrogance.”