Topics: Alec Baldwin, Crime, News, Entertainment, Celebrity, US News
A New Mexico prosecutor has slammed Alec Baldwin in the wake of announcing charges against the Hollywood actor, accusing him of pulling the trigger that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
Santa Fe prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the District Attorney's office will file charges against Baldwin and a number of others on set at the time of Hutchins' death.
After confirming in a press release that Baldwin would be charged 'in keeping with her commitment to pursue justice for all victims and to hold everyone accountable under the law', she lashed out at the Hollywood actor.
Speaking to CNN, Carmack-Altwies said Baldwin did pull the trigger on the gun that killed Hutchins.
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"There was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set. There were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with dummy rounds," the First Judicial District Attorney in New Mexico said.
"Nobody was checking those or at least they weren't checking them consistently.
"They somehow got loaded into a gun, handed off to Alec Baldwin, he didn't check it, he didn't do what he was supposed to do to make sure he was safe or make sure anyone else was safe."
She then rounded on Baldwin, pointing the finger directly at him.
"He pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and he pulled the trigger," she said, as per CNN.
"This was a really fast and loose set. And that nobody was doing their job."
The lawyer added that while the death may have been accidental, the Hollywood actor 'doesn't get a free pass' because he is a celebrity.
Baldwin's lawyer described the decision to charge him as a 'a terrible miscarriage of justice'.
The armourer for the film Hannah Guiterrez Reed will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Meanwhile, assistant director David Halls has accepted a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Halyna Hutchins was killed after a prop gun held by Baldwin was discharged on the set of Rust in October 2021.
Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the shooting on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set near Santa Fe, Arizona. No charges have been filed regarding this incident.
"After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said.
"On my watch, no-one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice."
