jury indicts alec baldwin fatal film set shooting

Alec Baldwin indicted on involuntary manslaughter charge over fatal shooting on movie set, reviving dormant case. Lawyers fight charge.

Alec Baldwin has been indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred during a rehearsal on a movie set in 2021. Prosecutors presented the case before a grand jury in Santa Fe, bringing new analysis of the gun that was used. The special prosecutors declined to answer questions after spending a day and a half presenting their case to the grand jury. Lawyers for Baldwin have indicated that they will fight the charge and look forward to their day in court.

The witnesses seen at the courthouse included crew members, one of whom was present when the fatal shot was fired, and another who had walked off the set the day before due to safety concerns. Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.

This charge has put Baldwin in legal trouble and created the possibility of prison time for the actor who has been a TV and movie mainstay for nearly 40 years. Prosecutors have two avenues to pursue the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, one based on negligent use of a firearm, and the other alleging felony misconduct with total disregard for the safety of others.

Lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing the slain cinematographer's family in a civil case, stated that her clients have been seeking the truth about what happened the day Hutchins was killed and will be looking forward to Baldwin's trial. Special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, citing the possibility that the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. However, they later received a new analysis of the gun and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin.

The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. Rust assistant director and safety co-ordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins' family, centred on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. The Rust Movie Productions company has paid a fine to state workplace safety regulators after a scathing narrative of failures in violation of standard industry protocols.