Authorities say they are prepared to make a decision regarding whether to press charges in relation to the 2021 shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of a movie that actor Alec Baldwin and several crew members were a part of.
According to Carmack-Altwies’ office, the special prosecutor Andrea Reeb and district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies will announce their choice in a written statement on Thursday morning.
No matter what the district attorney decides, the statement will be solemn and made in a way that respects the victim’s family and the office’s dedication to maintaining the fairness of the legal system, according to Heather Brewer, a spokeswoman for the office.
There have been numerous accusations of incompetence and finger-pointing since Baldwin shot two members of the film team in New Mexico in October 2021 when they were rehearsing the Western movie “Rust.”
NEW: Alec Baldwin could face criminal charges as soon as Thursday over “Rust” shooting.
Who else wants to see him behind bars?
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 19, 2023
Halyna Hutchins, a film cinematographer, was struck and killed by a live bullet fired from a pretend gun carried by Baldwin, who insists he did not pull the trigger. Joel Souza, the director, also suffered harm.
The cause of death is reported as a “gunshot wound to the chest” and the mode of death is listed as “accident” in the summary of the postmortem inquiry into Hutchins’ death, which was legally signed by the New Mexico chief medical investigator.
“A review of the available law enforcement reports revealed no persuasive evidence that the gun was purposefully loaded on set with live bullets. The mode of death is most appropriately categorized as an accident based on all available information, including the lack of evident intent to damage or cause death, the study said.
According to an FBI forensics analysis, during FBI testing of the weapon’s regular operation, firing required pulling the trigger while the rifle was cocked. The article also mentioned that the gun ultimately had a problem during testing due to internal parts breaking, resulting in the rifle firing in the cocked position without pushing the trigger.
In an August interview with CNN, Baldwin blamed the incident on Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the movie’s armorer and props assistant, and Dave Halls, the assistant director who gave him the gun. According to a cross-complaint CNN acquired, Baldwin sued the two and other others connected with the movie in November.
Both Gutierrez Reed and Halls asserted their innocence through their individual attorneys and charged Baldwin with shifting responsibility. A cache of fake ammunition was allegedly supplied with live rounds mixed in, according to Gutierrez Reed, who also sued the gun and ammo supplier for the movie and the company’s founder. Both parties deny wrongdoing.
A wrongful death case Hutchins’ family brought against Baldwin and other people involved in making the movie was settled in October on undisclosed terms.
In a statement at the time of the settlement, Halyna Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, called her passing an “awful accident.” According to the agreement, “Rust” production was scheduled to get back up this month with Matthew Hutchins joining as an executive producer.
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