Alec Baldwin indicted for involuntary manslaughter over Rust shooting

Alec Baldwin has been indicted by grand jury in New Mexico for the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the BBC reports.

The actor was on the set of Western feature Rust when a gun pointed at Hutchins was discharged, fatally wounding the cinematographer and also injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza.

In April 2023, involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dismissed by special prosecutors, but later in the year prosecutors said they were considering re-filing the charges after special analysis of the weapon was conducted. Following the discovery of new evidence, the case was presented to a grand jury of 12, needing at least eight jurors to agree on a probable cause for new charges.

According to the BBC, the one-count indictment was issued on Friday, 19 January under ‘two alternative legal theories – that Mr Baldwin was either negligent in his use of a firearm or that he acted with “total disregard or indifference for the safety of others”.’ Baldwin can only be convicted of one of these theories, not both, and if convicted he could land up to 18 months in prison.

The film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, also faces a manslaughter charge, to which she pleaded not guilty. She will stand trial in February 2024.