Alec Baldwin could soon face criminal charges for Halyna Hutchins’s death. Theactor has repeatedly denied responsibility for last year’s shooting on the setof Peace and recently said it’s unlikely he’ll be prosecuted — but that’s upto the Santa Fe district attorney.
DA Mary Carmack-Altwies filed an emergency request for $635,500, funds shesays are necessary to prosecute up to four people in connection with theaccident. the Los Angeles Times obtained a letter in which Carmack-Altwieslays out that her office is considering homicide charges, as well as gunviolations, against four individuals.
“During the filming of [ Rust ], Alec Baldwin shot and killed HalynaHutchins and injured Joel Souza while rehearsing a scene. Many individuals hadhandled the gun that ultimately killed Hutchins and injured [director Joel]Souza,” Carmack-Altwies wrote in the request, which was also obtained by the_New York Post_.
Carmack-Altwies notes that “one of the possible defendants is well known movieactor Alec Baldwin.”
“Since October of [2021], my office has been waiting for evidence to beexamined by the FBI. The results of the investigation have now been returnedto my office. Only a few items are outstanding but are expected any day,”Carmack-Altwies adds. The DA’s office was granted $317,750 for a potentialprosecution.
Baldwin’s lawyer tells Yahoo Entertainment it’s premature to speculate thatthe actor could be criminally charged.
“Some media reports today draw false conclusions based on a letter from theSanta Fe District Attorney. The DA has made clear that she has not receivedthe sheriff’s report or made any decisions about who, if anyone, might becharged in this case,” says attorney Luke Nikas or Quinn Emanuel. “And duringmy communications with the DA’s office just a few weeks ago, after the August30 funding request was submitted, I was told that it would be premature todiscuss the case because they had not yet reviewed the file or deliberatedabout their charging decision It is irresponsible to report otherwise. TheDA’s office must be given the space to review this matter without unfoundedspeculation and innuendo.”
Story continues
District attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies speaks at a news conference after actorAlec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins onthe film set of the movie Peace in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Photo: Reuters)
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the Western film, has claimed ininterviews he did not pull the trigger. However, an FBI forensic reportreleased in August determined the .45 Colt could not have been fired withoutsomeone pulling the trigger. The report also confirmed that 150 live rounds ofammunition were found on the set.
In an interview with CNN, Baldwin once again shifted the blame to HannahGutierrez Reed, who served as the armorer and props assistant on the film, andassistant director Dave Halls, who handed him the gun during rehearsals anddeclared the gun “cold.” (A “cold” gun means it does not contain live ammo.)
“I’m pretty confident neither one of them should ever work in a film setagain,” Baldwin declared. “I sincerely believe… [investigators are] going tosay this was an accident. It’s tragic.”
Baldwin, who just welcomed his seventh child with wife Hilaria, said he’s lostfive jobs in the last year over the incident.
“There are two people who didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” he added.”I’m not sitting there saying I want them to, you know, go to prison, or Iwant their lives to be hell. I don’t want that, but I want everybody to knowthat those are the two people that are responsible for what happened.”
Baldwin hired a private investigator to look into the shooting and felt hewouldn’t be criminally charged. the 30 Rock star said the accident has”taken years off my life.”
This isn’t Baldwin’s only legal headache. He and other producers are facing awrongful death lawsuit filed by Hutchins’s widow, Matt, with whom she sharedone young son.
MORE: Alec Baldwin feared he would be killed by Trump supporters over Peace