Alec Baldwin, the American actor and producer, will not face criminal charges in relation to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico in October 2021. Lawyers for Baldwin confirmed that prosecutors in the state plan to drop the involuntary manslaughter charge against their client. Baldwin had been accused of failing to ensure safety standards were met on set and of pointing a real firearm at Hutchins and director Joel Souza, as well as placing his finger on the trigger. Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintained that he thought the gun was unloaded.
The decision to drop the charges followed a settlement between Baldwin and Hutchins’ family, who called the shooting a “terrible accident”. As part of the settlement, Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, was named executive producer on the film, which resumed shooting on Thursday at Montana’s Yellowstone Film Ranch set. Rust’s weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed also faced manslaughter charges for her alleged role in the fatal shooting and likewise pleaded not guilty. Jason Bowles, a lawyer for Gutierrez-Reed, released a statement that he was aware of Thursday’s developments but that the charge against his client had not been revoked. He added, though, that he expected his client to be found innocent.
Baldwin had previously faced a charge of involuntary manslaughter, a felony, in relation to Hutchins’ death. The actor-producer had been filming a Western movie on a ranch south of Santa Fe when the prop firearm he was handling went off, killing Hutchins and injuring Souza. Prosecutors from New Mexico’s First Judicial District claimed that Baldwin had failed to appear for mandatory firearm training before filming and uphold safety standards on set. They argued that Baldwin’s failure to ensure minimum standards were met was reckless and directly caused the fatal shooting.
In February 2022, prosecutors agreed to downgrade the charges against Baldwin, after his legal team argued that charging him under a firearm-enhancement law that was passed after the shooting would be unlawful. That firearm-enhancement law would have set the minimum sentence for a guilty verdict at five years. Removing the enhancement dropped the maximum sentence to 18 months.
The prosecution also faced two high-profile departures in recent months. Special prosecutor Andrea Reeb was forced to step down in March after Baldwin’s lawyers argued her appointment was unconstitutional, as she had also been recently elected to the state legislature. Shortly thereafter, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies also withdrew from the case, appointing two new special prosecutors instead.
Assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon earlier this year. He was sentenced on March 31 to six months’ probation, as well as a $500 fine and community service.