A US prosecutor will announce on Thursday whether the fatal shooting of Alec Baldwin on the set of the film Rust in 2021 will result in criminal prosecution of the actor or others involved. A press release will be published at 9:00 a.m. (6:00 p.m. Paris time).
On October 21, 2021, this filming on a ranch in Santa Fe (New Mexico) had turned tragic when Alec Baldwin had activated a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but whose very real projectile had killed the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza.
A bullet put in the gun by the gunsmith
This rare news item had shocked Hollywood and had a strong impact, beyond the American borders. The 64-year-old actor, notably known for the series 30Rock, always said that he had been assured that his weapon was harmless. Alec Baldwin also maintained that he did not pull the trigger, a claim questioned by experts.
The police investigation focused in particular on determining how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited, precisely to avoid accidents. Officers concluded that the shooting gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, put the ammunition in the gun used by Alec Baldwin, instead of a dummy bullet.
Civil agreement
Authorities said last year that four people, including Alec Baldwin, could potentially be prosecuted. In August, the star said he expected no one to be charged, telling CNN that he had hired a private detective to establish responsibilities in the case.
The tragedy gave rise to a flurry of civil lawsuits from several members of the team. In October 2022, Alec Baldwin announced that he had reached an agreement ending the civil lawsuits brought by the family of Halyna Hutchins. Its amount was not disclosed. At the time, the resumption of filming of Rust had also been announced for 2023.