Alec Baldwin charged over 'Rust' shooting death

Alec Baldwin has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter on Friday over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the movie set of "Rust."

Hutchins was killed in 2021 and director Joel Souza was wounded on the set of the Western movie Baldwin was making near Santa Fe in New Mexico.

The American actor was initially charged with manslaughter in January last year, but the charge was later dropped.

Special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in Santa Fe this week, months after receiving a new analysis of the gun that was used.

Baldwin reportedly faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted of the new charge. A trial date has not been set.

"We look forward to our day in court." Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement.

Safety on set

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the movie, had been practicing wielding the weapon when the gun fired.

According to a previous police report, the assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin had told the actor the weapon was "cold" meaning it did not contain live ammunition or even blank rounds.

Baldwin has also maintained that he pulled back the hammer, not the trigger, and the gun fired. 

Friday's indictment followed an independent forensic test concluding that Baldwin would have had to pull the trigger of a revolver.

Baldwin is accused of causing a death by "negligent use of a firearm" and by acting "without due caution or circumspection."

Judges recently put on hold several lawsuits seeking compensation from Baldwin and producers of the movie after prosecutors said they would present new charges to a grand jury. Plaintiffs in those suits include members of the film crew.

The weapons supervisor on the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was charged last year with involuntary manslaughter. She has pleaded not guilty. Her trial begins in February.

The assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.

rm/lo (AFP, AP, Reuters)