More than two years after the fatal shooting of a camerawoman on the film set of the western “Rust,” Hollywood star Alec Baldwin is still coming to court. He is charged with negligent homicide.
US actor Alec Baldwin has been indicted by a grand jury on manslaughter charges following the death of a camerawoman on the set of the Western film “Rust.” This was announced by the responsible court in the US state of New Mexico.
The special prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury last year to initiate a new criminal case against Baldwin. In the United States, a grand jury investigates crimes after the prosecution presents evidence and decides whether charges should be filed.
The shot went off during a break in filming
Baldwin was handling a gun during a film rehearsal on a ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021 when a shot went off, killing camerawoman Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin is also a co-producer on the film. He claims that he had no idea that there was a live cartridge in the weapon and that he only cocked the hammer of the revolver but did not pull the trigger. The prop gun went off accidentally. Film weapon master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed assured, according to her lawyer, that she had not loaded the weapon with live ammunition.
Report puts new burden on actors
After “extensive investigations” in recent months, additional facts have come to light that, in their view, show that Baldwin is criminally liable, special investigators Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis announced in October. Baldwin’s lawyers wrote in a statement at the time that it was unfortunate that a “horrible tragedy” was being turned into a “misguided prosecution.”
Baldwin insisted in interviews that he did not pull the trigger. The investigators checked, among other things, whether a possible malfunction of the weapon could have triggered it. A report from two firearms experts published in August placed new charges on the actor.
“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, based on the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger must have been pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the revolver’s fully cocked or retracted hammer,” People magazine quotes. from the experts’ report.
Charges initially dropped
Baldwin and gun master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023, and the charges against Baldwin were initially dropped in April. Further investigations and forensic analyzes were required, it was said at the time. The charges against Gutierrez-Reed remained standing and her trial is scheduled for this year. Both have always denied responsibility for the fatal accident.