Actor, Alec Baldwin has vowed to fight involuntary manslaughter charges over Halyna Hutchins’ death and branded the prosecution ‘a terrible miscarriage of justice.’
Glamsquad reported on Thursday that Baldwin, 64, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 25, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, 15 months after the 42-year-old cinematographer was shot dead by the actor on the set of Rust in New Mexico.
Luka Nikas, Baldwin’s attorney however hit out, claiming ‘this decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death’, and doubled-down on his client’s previous protestations.
The lawyer noted that the actor’s colleagues ‘assured him the gun did not have live rounds’. He added ‘we will fight these charges, and we will win,’
However, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, promised that Baldwin would not get ‘a free pass’, accusing the actor of running a ‘fast and loose set’ plagued by safety issues.
It is worth noting that Baldwin has continually shifted the blame to prop managers, claiming they did not check if the gun was loaded before handing it to him, shooting Hutchins dead on October 21, 2021.
It is recalled that in an interview with ABC News host, George Stephanopoulos in December 2021, Baldwin said he did not feel responsible for Hutchins’ death and claimed it was ‘highly unlikely’ he would face charges.
Read Also: Jennifer Lopez reveals reason behind surprise wedding in Vegas with husband, Ben Affleck
He also shared how he ‘loved’ Hutchins and had bonded with her widower after accidentally killing her and claimed cops at the scene told him he would not be charged in the shooting.
In an interview wwwith CNN after the announcement of Baldwin, New Mexico District Attorney Carmack-Altwies said:
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.
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.
He pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and he pulled the trigger.
She further said a ‘totality of the 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, Baldwin ‘doesn’t get a free pass’ because he’s a star.
‘Just because it’s an accident doesn’t mean it’s not criminal. They didn’t mean to do it, they didn’t have the intent to kill, but it happened anyway and it happened because of more than mere negligence.
‘We’ve talked to many actors, a-list and otherwise, that have said they always check their guns or they have someone check it in front of them.
‘An actor doesn’t get free pass just because they’re an actor. Everyone’s equal under the law.’
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, who loaded the prop gun that killed Hutchins, face a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted.
Read Also: Actor, Prince Eke issues warning to those disturbing his peace with religion