Criminal charges haven't yet been ruled out in the fatal 'Rust' shooting, Santa Fe district attorney says
Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
- Criminal charges are on the table in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
- The Santa Fe County district attorney told The New York Times that nothing has been ruled out.
- An investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing.
Criminal charges could be possible in the accidental shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on the set of Alec Baldwin's "Rust" last week, the Santa Fe County district attorney said Tuesday amid an ongoing investigation into the fatal incident.
"We haven't ruled out anything," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told The New York Times. "Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table."
Baldwin on Thursday was rehearsing with a firearm he had been told did not contain live rounds when the gun was discharged, killing Hutchins.
The gun contained a "live round," a prop masters union told its members on Friday. A source in the union told the Los Angeles Times that "live round" in the film industry refers to any item loaded into a gun, including blanks. It remains unclear what type of projectile was in the gun that killed Hutchins.
Carmack-Altwies told The Times the investigation is focusing on ballistics to try and determine what kind of round killed Hutchins, as well as who put the ammunition in the firearm before the shooting. Court documents released Monday show that investigators recovered nine spent casings, as well as three black revolvers and "loose ammo" from the scene.
"There were an enormous amount of bullets on this set, and we need to find out what kinds they were," Carmack-Altwies told the outlet.
Carmack-Altwies said it could take "weeks, if not months" of ongoing interviews and investigation before authorities would be in a position to file charges.
The district attorney also expressed frustration with descriptions of the weapon as a "prop gun," emphasizing that the firearm was "a legit gun."
"It was an antique-era appropriate gun," she told the outlet, though she declined to specify what type of gun was used.
According to an affidavit, assistant director Dave Halls handed Baldwin the firearm, indicating the gun was not loaded just moments before the actor pulled the trigger. The affidavit said the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had placed the weapon on a cart before Halls picked it up.
Baldwin was reportedly practicing a scene in which he drew the gun and pointed it directly at the camera when the weapon went off, hitting Hutchins in the chest and striking Souza in the shoulder.
Documents obtained by Insider, including a permit for the film, show the production said they would use "simulated gunfire" and "blank rounds" during shooting.
The Santa Fe County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.