Alec Baldwin's expected charges in fatal 'Rust' shooting mark latest in actor's high-profile run-ins
Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter following a fatal shooting on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust" in October 2021, prosecutors in New Mexico announced Thursday.
Santa Fe officials announced that both Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed would be charged in the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins, 42, who was working as a cinematographer on the Western when she was shot and killed by an antique gun held by Baldwin, the film's star and producer.
MORE: Alec Baldwin to be charged with involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' film shooting
The shooting occurred while Baldwin was practicing using an antique Colt .45-caliber revolver, which contained a live bullet, on set. Baldwin had been told that the gun did not have live ammunition and has said it went off without him pulling the trigger.
"Rust" director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting, but no related charges will be filed, the district attorney's office said.
The movie's first assistant director, David Halls, has already agreed to plead guilty for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in Hutchins' death, officials said.
The charges against Baldwin, 64, would mark a rarity in Hollywood film production, where on-set fatalities in the past have led to safety reforms but rarely manslaughter charges, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement, Baldwin's lawyer Luke Nikas responded to the expected charges, saying, "This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun -- or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win."
The legal battle now facing Baldwin is by far the most serious -- but not the first -- for the actor, who has faced battles with the paparazzi and even his own family throughout his career.
Baldwin has also been named as a defendant in two civil lawsuits stemming from the "Rust" incident.
Run-ins with the paparazzi, his family over the years
Baldwin has shared a contentious relationship with the paparazzi throughout his career, and has faced legal trouble as a result in the past.
The actor was charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment in November 2018 after he allegedly assaulted a man following a parking spot dispute in New York City. Following the arrest, he denied that he "punched anyone over a parking spot" and pleaded not guilty to the charges later that month. In January 2019, he pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and agreed to attend an anger management program. All other charges were dropped.
His fraught and sometimes physical interactions with tabloid photographers date back to his marriage to then-wife Kim Basinger. Following the birth of his oldest daughter, Ireland, in 1995, Baldwin was placed under citizen's arrest, according the LAPD, after he allegedly hit a cameraman attempting to get footage of his newborn.
In 2012, Baldwin allegedly hit a New York Daily News photographer who his spokesperson said was "aggressively" attempting to photograph him and Hilaria, his then-fiancee and now-wife. A spokesperson for the actor claimed at the time that the photographer had allegedly assaulted the actor and that Baldwin was "protecting himself."
As ABC News reported at the time, the photographer filed a complaint after the incident, though the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to file charges or comment on the matter.
Baldwin was involved in more interactions with the paparazzi in 2013, including one in which he was accused of using a homophobic slur during an altercation with a photographer.
Following his alleged use of the slur, it was announced that his late-night talk show "Up Late with Alec Baldwin" would not return to MSNBC.
Baldwin also issued an apology on NBC's website, writing, "I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have -- and for that I am deeply sorry. Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward."
The actor has spoken and written many times before about the invasion of privacy he says his family have faced through the years.
In a 2014 as-told-to piece for Vulture, titled "Good-bye, Public Life," Baldwin described the intense attention he and his family had faced at the hands of the paparazzi. "Photographers today get right up in your face, my wife's, my baby's. They are baiting you," he wrote. "You can tell they want to get into it with you. Some bump into me or block the entrance to my apartment, frustrating my neighbors (some of whom may regret that I live in their building)."
He's used his social media to call out blogs and entertainment-related outlets for coverage of himself and his family over the years.
The actor has also made headlines for incidents within his family. In 2007, a voicemail to his then-11-year-old daughter Ireland was leaked, in which the actor called his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" for avoiding his phone calls.
Baldwin publicly apologized to his daughter on "The View" and said, "Calling your child a pig or anything else is improper and inappropriate."
Since then, Ireland Baldwin has said on multiple occasions that her father's rant was no big deal and said during a televised roast of the actor in 2017 that she and her dad are in a "much better place."
What Baldwin is doing now with his career and family life
The day after the shooting, Baldwin took to his now-private Twitter account to express his "shock and sadness" over Hutchins' death, and to say he was "fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred."
Baldwin also offered "support" for Hutchins family, adding, "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
Weeks later, on Dec. 2, Baldwin addressed the incident in a sit-down interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in which he said he didn't pull the trigger and "would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them."
Baldwin also said in the interview he didn't feel guilt for what happened, saying, "I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me." The actor noted at the time that he'd been told it was "highly unlikely" that he'd be charged criminally in Hutchins' death.
Following the "Rust" incident, Baldwin became a father for the eighth time when wife Hilaria welcomed their newest child in September 2022. Baldwin shares seven children with Hilaria, whom he married in 2012, and is also dad to daughter Ireland, whom he shares with ex-wife Basinger.
Professionally, Baldwin has kept a low profile amid the "Rust" controversy, only lending his voice to an animated TV series titled "The Fruitties Are Back." There are several projects listed as "upcoming" on his IMDb page in various stages of production, but their statuses are mostly unknown at this time.
Just this week, Baldwin announced that his podcast, "Here's the Thing," would be back with new episodes beginning Jan. 24. At this time, it remains to be seen if it will move ahead as planned.
"Rust" is slated to resume filming in January with all of the principal actors and Souza back as director. It's unclear if the pending charges will affect production.
Alec Baldwin's expected charges in fatal 'Rust' shooting mark latest in actor's high-profile run-ins originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
