Felony charges against Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ armorer downgraded

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Alec Baldwin emcees the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala at New York Hilton Midtown on Dec. 9, 2021, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Prosecutors dropped firearm enhancement from involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in connection with the deadly shooting on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021.

A spokesperson for Sante Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said Monday that the involuntary manslaughter charges for the both of them will remain.

“In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the ‘Rust’ film set. The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys,” spokesperson Heather Brewer said in a statement.

The district attorney charged Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed each with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after authorities said Baldwin fired a live round from a prop gun on the set, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin’s legal team has maintained that Baldwin had “no reason to believe” the prop gun had live ammunition. Joel Souza, the film’s director, was also injured in the shooting, but Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will not face charges related to his injury.

A firearm enhancement charge carries a mandatory five-year prison sentence if convicted. An involuntary manslaughter charge carries a potential sentence of up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The movie was slated to resume production in January 2023, after Baldwin settled a lawsuit with the family of the cinematographer, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Rust” also hired a new cinematographer last week, and the production team plans to produce a documentary on Hutchins’s life.

Tags Alec Baldwin Alec Baldwin Halyna Hutchins Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Mary Carmack-Altwies

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Most Popular

Load more