On Thursday, in an hour-long interview with George Stephanopoulos, Alec Baldwin said that it was “highly unlikely” that he would face criminal charges after the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film “Rust.” Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after being shot by a live round which subsequently hit director Joel Souza, who has recovered since, from his shoulder injury. However, the District Attorney of Santa Fe disagreed with the actor’s assumption.
Alec Baldwin had allegedly fired the antique Colt revolver which killed Halyna and injured Souza. The gun had live ammo although it had been called a “cold” gun meaning that it had no live ammo, when it was handed to the actor by Dave Halls, an assistant director. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer in the set.
On Friday, First Judicial District Mary Carmack-Altwies said that “certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions on the set of Rust.” She also noted that she would exercise her “prosecutorial discretion to its fullest, including filing charges that are supported by probable cause.” She added that her office was also “exploring various legal theories at the time.”
She also that all those who were involved in the “handling and use of firearms on the set” had the duty to behave in a manner that protected the safety of others. She said that it appeared as if certain actions as well as inactions had contributed to the outcome.
Several sources in New Mexico told Deadline that law enforcement officials were unhappy that Alec Baldwin was talking to the media about the incident. The Sheriff’s Office had asked the Oscar nominee not to comment on the incident as the investigations were ongoing.
One source told the outlet that the department had felt “betrayed” as they had given Baldwin a lot of “consideration” after the shooting while another source said that the Emmy winning actor was “testing the department’s patience” and was also becoming a “distraction to the ongoing investigation.”
On Friday, Carmack-Altwies also said, “As the First Judicial District Attorney, I have not made a decision to charge or not to charge any individuals involved in the shooting that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins and injury of Joel Souza.”
With her remarks on Friday, the DA has pointed directly at Alec Baldwin’s remarks during his Thursday interview and has made it clear that the investigations will continue and the law will take its course.
