By MORGAN LEE
SANTA FE, N.M. — Special prosecutors have announced their intention to recharge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the tragic shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico two years ago.
Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, prosecutors based in New Mexico, revealed that they will present new evidence to a grand jury within the next two months. They stated that “additional facts” have emerged regarding the fatal shooting, which occurred in October 2021 during the filming of “Rust” on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
During a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe, Baldwin, who is also a co-producer of the film, was holding a gun and pointing it at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Tragically, the gun discharged, resulting in Hutchins’ death and director Joel Souza being injured.
Baldwin has maintained that he pulled back the hammer of the gun, but did not pull the trigger, causing the gun to fire.
Fred Hayes/Getty Images
Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed in October 2021 on a New Mexico movies set by a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin, is seen above attending the SAGindie Sundance Filmmakers Reception at Cafe Terigo on Jan. 28, 2019 in Park City, Utah. (File photo by Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie)
In April, special prosecutors initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, citing the possibility that the gun used in the shooting may have been modified and malfunctioned. However, they have since reconsidered and are now considering re-filing charges against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.
Experts in ballistics and forensic testing from Arizona and New Mexico performed an analysis on the gun fired by Baldwin, using replacement parts to reassemble it after parts of the pistol were broken during earlier testing by the FBI. The analysis examined the gun and the markings it left on a spent cartridge, leading to the conclusion that the trigger must have been pulled or depressed.
The analysis, conducted by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona, concluded that despite Baldwin’s repeated denials, “given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the movie set, has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in relation to the shooting. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.
In March, “Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm. He received a suspended sentence of six months of probation and agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.
The 2021 shooting sparked a series of civil lawsuits focused on allegations of lax safety standards by the defendants. Members of Hutchins’ family have filed wrongful death claims, which the defendants, including Baldwin, have disputed.
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