Alec Baldwin news - live: Actor breaks silence as Halyna Hutchins’s husband welcomes charges in Rust shooting
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Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the movie set of Rust.
The actor is one of three cast and crew members facing charges over the accidental shooting, New Mexico prosecutors announced Thursday.
The first assistant director on Rust, David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Baldwin’s attorney responded to the news in a statement to The Independent, saying: “This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.”
Luke Nikas said they intend to “fight” the charges, and “win”.
The decision comes more than 15 months after the fatal shooting in October 2021, which occurred when a prop gun held by Baldwin discharged on set. A single bullet struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder before fatally striking Hutchins in the chest.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he was told the gun was “cold”, meaning it had no live ammunition, and that he never pulled the trigger.
Key points
Alec Baldwin is one of three cast and crew members charged in Rust shooting
Read the DA’s reasons for charging Alec Baldwin in full
Alec Baldwin vows to 'fight' the charges
Matt Hutchins reacts to charges, read his statement in full
Alec Baldwin tweets about David Crosby’s death hours after being charged in Rust shooting
‘Bold’ and ‘aggressive’: What legal experts say about Alec Baldwin charging decision over Rust shooting
09:25 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A decision by New Mexico authorities to bring involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin for the fatal Rust shooting of Halyna Hutchins has been called “bold” and “aggressive” by legal experts.
The charges against Baldwin and other crew members were announced by Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and special prosecutor Andrea Reeb on Thursday.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie’s armourer, is expected to be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the shooting.
What do legal experts say ‘bold’ charging decisions mean for Alec Baldwin?
Screen Actors Guild issues statement on Baldwin facing charges
07:57 , Graeme Massie
“The prosecutor’s contention that an actor has a duty to ensure the functional and mechanical operation of a firearm on a production set is wrong and uninformed. An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” read the actors guild’s statement, without naming Baldwin.
And the statement continued: “The Industry Standards for safety with firearms and use of blank ammunition are âclearly laid out âin Safety Bulletin 1, provided by theâ Jointâ Industry-Wide Labor Management Safety Commission. The guidelines require an experienced, qualified armorer to be put in charge of all handling, use, and safekeeping of firearms on set. These duties include “inspecting the firearm and barrel before and after every firing sequence,” and “checking all firearms before each use.”
“The guidelines do not make it the performer’s responsibility to check any firearm. Performers âtrain to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use. The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect. Anyone issued a firearm on set must be âgiven training and guidance in its safe handlinâg and use,â but all activity with firearms on a set must be under the careful supervision and control of the professional armorer and the employer.”
What the charges against Alec Baldwin mean – and what’s next
07:04 , Graeme Massie
The actor faces involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’.
What the charges against Alec Baldwin mean – and what’s next
Watch: Alec Baldwin to face manslaughter charge over Halyna Hutchins' shooting
06:05 , Graeme Massie
Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins.
Alec Baldwin to face involuntary manslaughter charge over shooting of Halyna Hutchins
Alec Baldwin will ‘fight’ manslaughter charges as lawyer blasts ‘miscarriage of justice’
05:01 , Graeme Massie
Alec Baldwin’s lawyer has described the involuntary manslaughter charges over the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins as a “terrible miscarriage of justice”.
Prosecutors announced Thursday that Baldwin will face two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins’ death on the movie set of Rust.
In a statement to The Independent, attorney Luke Nikas said: “This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.
Full story below.
Alec Baldwin’s lawyer responds to involuntary manslaughter charges
What legal experts say about Alec Baldwin charging decision over Rust shooting
04:01 , Graeme Massie
A decision by New Mexico authorities to bring involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin for the fatal Rust shooting of Halyna Hutchins has been called “bold” and “aggressive” by legal experts.
The Independent’s Graeme Massie has the story.
What do legal experts say ‘bold’ charging decisions mean for Alec Baldwin?
Piers Morgan accuses Alec Baldwin of ‘Hollywood arrogance’ amid Rust shooting charges
03:00 , Bevan Hurley
“There was no doubt that it was an accident but Halyna Hutchins died, leaving behind a grief-stricken husband and a young child and the person holding the gun that fired a bullet and killed her was Alec Baldwin,” said Piers Morgan on social media.
“It was him who did that, who fired a bullet into his co-worker’s body and snuffed out her life. Nobody else’s hands were anywhere near the gun.”
Read Annabel Nugent’s full story.
Piers Morgan accuses Alec Baldwin of ‘Hollywood arrogance’ amid Rust shooting charges
Halyna Hutchins’ final words after being shot on Alec Baldwin’s Rust set
02:00 , Bevan Hurley
Witnesses have revealed Halyna Hutchins’s last words in the moments after she was shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of his movie Rust.
Ms Hutchins, director of photography for the Western film, died on 21 October 2021 after Mr Baldwin discharged a firearm while practising a gun-drawing technique on the set in New Mexico.
Seconds after she was struck, Ms Hutchins cried out to a boom operator: “That was no good. That was no good at all,” according to a Los Angeles Times report based on interviews with 14 crew members.
Full story below.
Halyna Hutchins’ last words after Alec Baldwin shooting
Alec Baldwin tweets about David Crosby’s death hours after being charged in Rust shooting
01:15 , Graeme Massie
The 64-year-old is one of three cast and crew members facing charges over the accidental October 2021 shooting.
Alec Baldwin breaks silence after being charged in Rust shooting
A timeline of Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s relationship
00:40 , Bevan Hurley
In their more than a decade of marriage, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have reached many different milestones together.
After getting married in 2012, the pair expanded their family rapidly and most recently welcomed their seventh child in September. They’ve spoken candidly about different aspects of their marriage, including their 26 year age gap.
At the end of last year, the pair also addressed the struggle they’ve endured since the accidental shooting on the set of Alec’s movie, Rust. In October 2021, a prop gun being used by Alec fired a bullet; the result fatally wounded the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
The Independent’s Amber Raiken has more.
A timeline of Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s relationship
What the charges against Alec Baldwin mean – and what’s next
00:10 , Bevan Hurley
The Independent’s Clémence Michallon writes that charges brought against Alec Baldwin could mark the “beginning of a lengthy legal saga”.
‘No one is above the law’
Thursday 19 January 2023 23:50 , Bevan Hurley
Read Santa Fe DA Mary Carmack-Altwies’s full statement on involuntary manslaughter charges brought against Alec Baldwin in full below.
Read the DA’s reasons for charging Alec Baldwin in full
Former prosecutors and attorneys respond to ‘bold’ and ‘aggressive’ charges
Thursday 19 January 2023 22:39 , Bevan Hurley
The Independent’s Graeme Massie spoke with former prosecutors and attorneys about their thoughts on the charges being brought against Alec Baldwin.
Full story below.
What do legal experts say ‘bold’ charging decisions mean for Alec Baldwin?
Who was Halyna Hutchins?
Thursday 19 January 2023 21:54 , Annabel Nugent
In light of the news that Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, family and friends of Halyna Hutchins have remembered her life and career.
Halyna Hutchins: The cinematographer’s life and career
Father of camerawoman killed on 2014 movie set speaks to The Independent
Thursday 19 January 2023 21:30 , Annabel Nugent
The father of Sarah Jones, a camerawoman who was killed on the set of the 2014 film Midnight Rider, speaks to The Independent’s Bevan Hurley.
Richard Jones and his wife Elizabeth formed the Safety for Sarah non-profit to educate young filmmakers on the importance of following correct protocols on set, with the mantra: “Never forget, never again.”
Jones told The Independent that the shooting of Halyna Hutchins had resurfaced the pain he felt after his daughter’s death.
His daughter was killed on set. He hopes the Alec Baldwin charges will spur change
“There needs to be accountability for this tragedy, and I’m glad to see that work is being done to hold people accountable,” he told The Independent.
“It’s clear, as in the death of my daughter Sarah, there’s a chain of events that occurred. If any one of those professionals had done their job properly, it would have prevented this tragedy.”
Donald Trump Jr has been criticised – again– for his remarks about the shooting
Thursday 19 January 2023 21:15 , Annabel Nugent
Donald Trump Jr has been critisied for his “hateful” response to the news that Alec Baldwin is being charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The son of the former US president was one of the first public figures to comment on the charges announced on Thursday (19 January).
It is not the first time he has publicly remarked on the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins in a manner that has been called “insensitive”.
In the aftermath of the shooting in 2021, Trump Jr sold T-shirts reading: “Guns don’t kill people. Alec Baldwin kills people.”
The Independent’s Holly Baxter looks at Trump Jr’s past comments on the incident.
Alec Baldwin has been charged — and Don Jr has something to say
Halyna Hutchins’s husband previously said he felt ‘anger’ towards Alec Baldwin
Thursday 19 January 2023 21:00 , Annabel Nugent
In February 2022, Halyna Hutchins’s husband said he felt “angry” seeing the actor speak about his wife’s death “so publicly”.
“I was angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way, and then to not accept responsibility after having just described killing her,” said Matt Hutchins on the Today show last year.
“The idea that the person holding the gun causing it to discharge is not rep is absurd to me.”
Halyna Hutchins’ husband says charges are a ‘comfort to the family'
Thursday 19 January 2023 20:42 , Annabel Nugent
In a statement issued after the announcement of the charges, Matt Hutchins said: “ We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.”
Halyna Hutchins’s husband says shooting charges for Alec Baldwin are ‘comfort’
Former prosecutors and attorneys respond to ‘bold’ and ‘aggressive’ charges
Thursday 19 January 2023 20:00 , Inga Parkel
The Independent’s Graeme Massie spoke with former prosecutors and attorneys about their thoughts on the charges being brought against Alec Baldwin.
Read more:
What legal experts say about Alec Baldwin charging decision over Rust shooting
District attorney says that charges will be formally filed against actor before the end of January
Who is Alec Baldwin married to?
Thursday 19 January 2023 19:30 , Inga Parkel
Baldwin has been married to his wife Hilaria for more than 10 years. The couple met in 2011 and got married the following year.
A timeline of Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s relationship: From tying the knot to welcoming seven children
In their more than a decade of marriage, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have reached many different milestones together.
Halyna Hutchins’ last words after being on Alec Baldwin’s Rust set
Thursday 19 January 2023 19:00 , Inga Parkel
After interviewing 14 cast and crew members who were on the Rust set at the time of the fatal October 2021 shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported a secondhand account of what happened.
Halyna Hutchins’ final words after being shot on Alec Baldwin’s Rust set
Hutchins, director of photography for the Western film ‘Rust’ died on 21 October 2021 after Baldwin discharged a firearm while practising a gun-drawing technique on set
Read Matt Hutchins’s statement in full
Thursday 19 January 2023 18:14 , Annabel Nugent
The husband of Halyna Hutchins has reacted to news of the charges, stating that the charges are a “comfort to the family”.
Read his statement in full:
Halyna Hutchins’s husband says shooting charges for Alec Baldwin are ‘comfort’
Attorneys for Rust amourer criticise the investigation as ‘very flawed'
Thursday 19 January 2023 18:12 , Inga Parkel
The attorney of Hannah Gutierrez Reed has issued a statement responding to the charges, calling the investigation “very flawed”.
Reed – who will also be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the incident – was the armourer on Rust.
“Hannah is, and always has been, very emotional and sad about this tragic accident. But she did not commit involuntary manslaughter,” said Jason Bowles and Toff J Bullion.
Statement from Hannah Gutierrez Reed's attorneys on charges in "Rust" shooting of Halyna Hutchins @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/HfSXT22vmb
— Angenette Levy (@Angenette5) January 19, 2023
Halyna Hutchins’s husband responds to charges
Thursday 19 January 2023 18:01 , Annabel Nugent
The husband of Halyna Hutchins has issued a statement in response to the charges.
Matt Hutchins thanked the DA for concluding their “thorough investigation and determining that chages for involuntary manslaughter are warranted”.
Hutchins said that their “independent investigation also supports charges are warranted”.
He said that it is a “comfort to the family” to know that ”no one is above the law”.
Everything Alec Baldwin has said about the shooting
Thursday 19 January 2023 17:34 , Inga Parkel
Alec Baldwin’s attorney has said they intend to “fight these charges”.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the shooting.
Alec Baldwin’s lawyer responds to involuntary manslaughter charges
Eliza Hutton, fiancé of Brandon Lee who died on ‘The Crow’ set, previously spoke out about gun safety
Thursday 19 January 2023 17:26 , Annabel Nugent
In the aftermath of the 2021 shooting of Halyna Hutchins, Eliza Hutton – the fiancé of Brandon Lee – called for “alternatives to real guns on sets”.
Lee died in 1993 aged 28. The actor and son of the late action star Bruce Lee had been killed during the filming of The Crow after an actor fired a prop gun he believed to be loaded with blanks.
It was later discovered that a fragment of a dummy shell had been left in the gun’s barrel. Lee died in hospital following hours of surgery.
In October 2021, Hutton said: “I urge those in positions to make change to consider alternatives to real guns on sets.”
Eliza Hutton breaks silence on fiancé Brandon Lee’s death after Rust fatal shooting
Bevan Hurley explains the intricacies of what makes ‘Rust’ a complicated case
Thursday 19 January 2023 17:15 , Inga Parkel
The Independent’s Bevan Hurley explains the ins and outs of the complicated case in light of the charges announced today.
Alec Baldwin shot a woman on set. He’s now facing involuntary manslaughter charges. What changed?
Nearly 15 months after the fatal shooting, investigators announced criminal charges over the on set fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Bevan Hurley explains the complicated case
Donald Trump Jr criticised for ‘hateful’ reaction to Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ charges
Thursday 19 January 2023 17:10 , Annabel Nugent
Donald Trump Jr is among the first public figures to respond to the news.
The former US president’s son has been criticised for his “hateful” reaction to Alec Baldwin’s Rust charges.
“Maybe Alec Baldwin will be lucky enough to share a cell with Michael Avenatti,” Mr Trump Jr tweeted on Thursday (19 January) in response to the announcement.
Trump Jr under fire for ‘hateful’ reaction to Alec Baldwin charges
Read the statement from Alec Baldwin’s attorney
Thursday 19 January 2023 17:02 , Annabel Nugent
In a statement given to The Independent, Luke Nikas refuted the charges.
The actor’s attorney said they intend to “fight these charges” and “win”. Read the statement in full here...
Alec Baldwin’s lawyer responds to involuntary manslaughter
Alec Baldwin’s attorney says they will ‘fight’ the charges – ‘and win'
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:55 , Annabel Nugent
Alec Baldwin’s attorney has issued a statement in response to the charges.
Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel called the decision a “terrible miscarriage of justice”.
Nikas went on to say that Baldwin had “no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun” and that he relied on the professionals who assured him the gun did not have live rounds.
What does it mean to be charged with involuntary manslaughter?
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:49 , Annabel Nugent
Read our explanation on what today’s charges mean – and what the expected sentence for involuntary manslaughter is.
Alec Baldwin: What is involuntary manslaughter and the expected sentence?
Alec Baldwin marked the one-year anniversary of Halyna Hutchins’s death
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:45 , Annabel Nugent
In October last year, Alec Baldwin marked the one-year anniversary of Halyna Hutchins’s death with a post on social media.
On Friday (21 October), one year after the incident took place, Baldwin shared a photo of Hutchins to Instagram. “One year ago today…” he captioned the post.
Alec Baldwin remembers Halyna Hutchins on one-year anniversary of her death
Read the DA’s statement in full here
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:40 , Annabel Nugent
“After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew,” New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said on Thursday (19 January).
“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Read the DA’s reasons for charging Alec Baldwin in full
‘No one is above the law'
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:29 , Annabel Nugent
Read the full statement from the DA explaning the reasons for the charges below...
Read the DA’s reasons for charging Alec Baldwin in full
Everything Alec Baldwin has said about the shooting
Thursday 19 January 2023 16:13 , Annabel Nugent
In light of the news, this is everything Alec Baldwin has said about the incident.
The actor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the shooting.
