It's almost hard to believe, but it's been 16 months since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of Alec Baldwin's Rust. Since then there's been a ton of conversation about safety on film sets, as authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the events leading up to the shooting. And now both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face criminal charges related to this on-set tragedy. Here's what we know so far.
News of this development comes to us from Deadline. Per this report, the Santa Fe District Attorney is seeking criminal charges for both Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed over the death of Halyna Hutchins. The charges will be set formally by the end of the month, with both of them expected to face two counts of involuntary manslaughter. This comes after Baldwin settled with Hutchins' family and prepared to continue filming the movie. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement about the legal case, saying:
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. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.
The incident itself happened back in October of 2021, while Rust was in the midst of filming on location in New Mexico. As cameras were being adjusted, a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin reportedly discharged, resulting in the death of cinematography Halyna Hutchins and injury of director Joel Souza. Since then the investigation has been going on, with both Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed denying culpability in the incident. Although it looks like that's not how the Santa Fe District Attorney sees it.
Another comment was issued by special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, who will seemingly be leading the charge whenever the Rust case gos to court. She also mentions the movie's Assistant Director David Halls, when listing off those she deems responsible for Halyna Hutchins' tragic passing. As she was quoted:
If any one of these three people—Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls—had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple. The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.
As previously mentioned, both Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have denied blame for the events on the Rust set that eventually lead to the tragic death of the movie's cinematographer. Baldwin even did a televised interview defending himself, insisting he never actually pulled he trigger of the gun when it discharged. What's more, he seemingly takes umbrage with the fact that a live round was even on the set at all.
As for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, she's put blame on PDQ Arm & Prop, which sold the dummy bullets to her. She put out her own lawsuit against them, but that seemingly hasn't swayed the prosectors from going through with criminal charges for her. It remains to be seen how this all shakes out. But there will be countless eyes on the proceedings, which have the potential to influence real change on film sets.
