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Santa Fe District Attorney (DA) Mary Carmack-Altwies slammed actor Alec Baldwin and “Rust” crew members Thursday for their carelessness after the trio was charged in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins was fatally shot Oct. 21, 2021 after Baldwin fired a prop gun that contained a live round. The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest and director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder. Paramedics airlifted Hutchins to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Baldwin and the head armorer of the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with involuntary manslaughter Thursday, which holds a maximum of 5 years if convicted. Assistant Director Dave Halls accepted a plea deal for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and will face six months probation, TMZ reported.
Carmack-Altwies said prosecutors decided to levy charges after speaking with experts and carrying out a detailed investigation.
“What were some of the key pieces of evidence that you used that factored into that decision?” CNN’s Josh Campbell asked.
“Well, that there was such a lack of safety and safety standards on that set. That there were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with regular dummy rounds. Nobody was checking those, or at least they weren’t checking them consistently, and then they somehow got loaded into a gun [and] handed over to Alec Baldwin,” the DA said.
Carmack-Altwies then criticized Baldwin for not taking proper safety precautions.
“[Baldwin] didn’t check it, he didn’t do any of the things that he was supposed to do to make sure that he was safe or that anyone around him was safe, and then he pointed the gun at Halyna Hutchins and he pulled the trigger,” she said. (RELATED: ‘My Heart Is Broken’: Alec Baldwin Speaks Out After Killing Woman With Prop Gun On Set)
“This was a fast and loose set, and … nobody was doing their job,” Carmack-Altwies continued. “There were three people that, if they had done their job that day, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened, and that’s David Halls, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Alec Baldwin. If they had done their basic duties, we wouldn’t be standing here.”
Baldwin has denied any wrongdoing, saying in a 2021 interview he “didn’t pull the trigger.”
“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never,” Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.