SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) — Special prosecutors on Tuesday said they are seeking to recharge actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 deadly “Rust” movie-set shooting. New Mexico-based prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis intend to present the case to a grand jury within the next two months.
“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” said Special Prosecutors Morrissey and Lewis in an email. “We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”
Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. The actor was rehearsing a scene in front of a camera when a gun he was handling fired, hitting Hutchins and the film’s director Joel Souza. Hutchins died shortly after the shooting while Souza survived his injuries.
Baldwin was facing an involuntary manslaughter charge. In April, prosecutors officially dropped the charges against Baldwin. Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer facing criminal charges, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February of 2024.
Nexstar’s KRQE reported earlier this month that the state was looking for evidence showing that Gutierrez may have been denied training days with Baldwin, and possibly contributing to the fatal shooting of Hutchins.
“She went to production and said, ‘I haven’t had enough time to train him on this weapon, I need more training days,’” said Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey.
Rust Productions called a subpoena from the state “burdensome,” and filed a motion for a protective order on sensitive documents being released.
Prosecutors say the documents in question may confirm or disprove the claim that Gutierrez wasn’t given the training with Baldwin that she requested.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
