Alec Baldwin, armorer formally charged in ‘Rust’ shooting

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Santa Fe District Attorney has filed formal charges against actor Alec Baldwin and film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust.” The filing comes nearly two weeks after District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis announced her plan to move forward with prosecuting the case surrounding the on-set death of film cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

According to charging documents filed Tuesday, both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed each face one count of involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins death. Hutchins was killed at the Bonzana Creek Ranch near Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021, after being shot by a gun Baldwin was handling.

As part of the filings made Tuesday, the DA also published a 10-page statement of probable cause in the case, highlighting prosecutors’ arguments for charging Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. In addition to those charges, the film’s assistant director, David Halls, is said to have pleaded to a single misdemeanor count of negligent use of a deadly weapon (unsafe handling). In that release the DA’s office says the terms of his agreement include a suspended sentence and six months of probation. Prosecutors said Halls handed Baldwin the gun which eventually killed Hutchins, while Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of weapons on the set.

Naming Baldwin both an actor and producer on the “Rust” set, the probable cause statement alleges, in part, that “on the day of the shooting alone, evidence shows that no less than a dozen acts, or omissions of recklessness, occurred in the short time prior to lunch and the time of the shooting, and this does not include the reckless handling of the firearm by Baldwin.”

Investigators also allege that Baldwin, “by act or omission or failure to act in his position as a producer directly contributed and/or failed to mitigate numerous reckless and dangerous actions during a very short time period.”

Video footage shows Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene when he pointed the gun toward the camera being operated by Hutchins. Loaded with a real bullet or “live round,” the gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding the film’s director, Joel Souza.

The case, which is expected to be argued by special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, has been highlighted by allegations of on-set negligence. Investigators claim the gun Baldwin was handling wasn’t thoroughly checked before being handed to the actor.

In a statement on Jan. 19, special prosecutor Reeb said, “If any one of these three people—Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or [assistant director] David Halls—had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple.”

Baldwin has maintained that the gun misfired, denying responsibility for the shooting. However, an FBI report contradicts Baldwin’s claim that the gun accidentally discharged.

Gutierrez-Reed told investigators in subsequent interviews that she didn’t know how live rounds got into the real gun. Gutierrez-Reed has filed a lawsuit in the case, in part blaming an ammo supplier in the shooting. That lawsuit is pending as of January 2023.

This is a developing news story. This post will be updated.