Baldwin Charged in Set Shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust." The film's armorer (see 101), Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is facing the same charges. The two will be charged "in the alternative," meaning if they are found guilty, it will be on only one of the charges: involuntary manslaughter, which comes with a sentence of up to 18 months in jail, or involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act, which carries a mandatory five years; however, it requires proof of more than simple negligence. The incident occurred in October 2021, when Baldwin discharged a revolver prop, killing Hutchins and wounding the film's director. Baldwin has maintained the crew told him the gun was not loaded, and he did not pull the trigger. An investigation revealed Gutierrez-Reed had put a live round in Baldwin's gun instead of using a dummy round. The news comes as film production is set to resume this year, with Hutchins' husband serving as an executive producer on the project.