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Alec Baldwin will not be charged with shooting Rust director Joel Souza, even though he was hit by the same bullet that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The New Mexico prosecutor has said Baldwin will not be charged with injuring Souza because no “unintentional assault” charge would apply.
The assault generally required intent, and prosecutors do not allege that Baldwin intended to fire the bullet. In Hutchins’ case, he is being charged with ‘involuntary manslaughter,’ it was announced last week.
Souza was hospitalized after the shooting on the set of Rust in October 2021. It was recently reported that filming will resume with Souza returning to his directing role.
The Santa Fe district attorney’s office is also seeking a manslaughter charge for on-set gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
Alec Baldwin will not be charged with shooting Rust director Joel Souza, even though he was hit by the same bullet that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Joel Souza (pictured) was hospitalized after the shooting on the set of Rust in October 2021
While filming his western movie Rust outside of Santa Fe, Alec Baldwin accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza.
Baldwin had been practicing pulling his gun out of its holster when a bullet from the revolver tore through Souza’s shoulder and into Hutchins’ chest.
The actor insisted during an interview with police that he had been told the gun was “cold” when it was delivered to him and, more importantly, that he did not pull the trigger.
Baldwin has refuted an FBI report stating that he must have pulled the trigger for the gun to fire.
“We’ve been doing this for two weeks and we’ve been doing it the right way every day. Just before shooting. I went to lunch.
‘She disarmed me, Hannah, she always handled the gun. I come back, they give me the revolver – Hannah – they arm me. You’re assuming it’s a cold weapon. I put the gag on the shot.
I pull out the gun, when it clears up, I turn around, cock, and the gun goes off. It’s supposed to be a cold gun. bang, she [Hutchins] hit the ground. [Joel Souza] he falls, screaming ‘Jesus Christ!’
Baldwin has vowed to fight the charges, calling them a “terrible judicial error.”
He and Gutierrez-Reed face up to 18 months in prison if convicted of manslaughter. If they are also convicted of enhancing the use of firearms on that charge, they will face a mandatory five-year prison sentence.
Dave Halls, the deputy chief, pleaded guilty to one count of negligent use of a deadly weapon and received a six-month suspended sentence.
In a statement, Baldwin’s lawyer said: “This decision misrepresents the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.” Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe that there was a live bullet in the gun, or anywhere on the film set.
Mary Carmack-Altwies (pictured), the First Judicial District Attorney in New Mexico, accused Baldwin of running a ‘fast and loose’ outfit
Hutchins with her son and husband Matthew
Baldwin is seen on October 21, 2021, after speaking with investigators about the fatal shooting.
But Mary Carmack-Altwies, the First Attorney for the Judicial District of New Mexico, stands her ground.
In a post-announcement interview with CNN, she said Baldwin did pull the trigger, running a “fast and loose outfit” that was plagued with security issues.
Baldwin may face additional culpability because he was also a producer on the film.
Carmack-Altwies said: “There was a huge lack of security and safety standards on that set. There were live rounds on the set, mixed in with dummy rounds.
‘Nobody was checking them or at least they weren’t constantly checking them.
“Somehow they loaded up on a gun, handed it over to Alec Baldwin, he didn’t check it, he didn’t do what he was supposed to do to make sure it was safe or someone else was safe.”
He pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and pulled the trigger.
She said “the totality of circumstances” led to the decision, adding: “This was a really fast and loose set. And that nobody was doing their job.
While it may have been an accident, he said Baldwin “doesn’t have a free pass” because he’s a star.
Baldwin’s wife told a group of photographers waiting outside her Manhattan apartment that she and their children need space.
This comes after Baldwin’s wife told a group of photographers waiting outside her Manhattan apartment that she and their children needed space. However, she was criticized for doing it with a fake Spanish accent.
The Bostonian born and raised, 39, apologized two years ago for faking a Spanish accent and stated that she had been raised with two cultures.
Hilaria, born Hillary Lynn Hayward-Thomas, appeared to revert to her old accent as she dodged questions about her husband’s manslaughter charge.