A New Mexico grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin for the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust more than two years ago. The actor and producer now faces the charge of involuntary manslaughter for the negligent use of a firearm. The text of the grand jury’s indictment calls it “an act committed with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others,” and says that “an ordinary person would anticipate that death might occur under the circumstances.”
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Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the set of his western, Rust, on a Thursday afternoon in October of 2021. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was hit in the collarbone area and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Baldwin has maintained from the beginning that the shooting was an accident. The prop gun wasn’t supposed to have live rounds in it, and even went so far as to say in an interview that he didn’t even pull the trigger.
This isn’t the first indictment Baldwin faced for this incident. A grand jury charged him with involuntary manslaughter back in January of 2023, but the prosecution opted to drop the charges in April. Baldwin also settled a wrongful death lawsuit launched by the Hutchins family.
Jury selection for the trial is set to start on February 21 in Santa Fe County. The trial is expected to begin on February 22 and last two weeks. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to as much as 18 months in prison.
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