Alec Baldwin is facing criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of the film "Rust", where filmmaker Halyna Hutchins was killed.
Involuntary manslaughter (manslaughter) is the crime of killing another human being unlawfully but unintentionally.
A lawyer for Baldwin, Luke Nikas, said his client had "no reason to believe there was a real bullet in the gun" on the day Hutchins was killed and condemned the charges against the actor as "a terrible miscarriage of justice". "We will fight these accusations", says Nikas' statement. "And we will win."
The prosecutor's office announced that the director of "Rust", Joel Souza, will not face any charges related to the shooting. Souza was shot and wounded along with Hutchins the day she was fatally wounded.
Hutchins died shortly after being shot while setting up a shooting scene on a farm outside Santa Fe, Mexico, on October 21, 2021. Baldwin was pointing a handgun at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing him and injuring Souza.
Baldwin has described Hutchins' killing as a "tragic accident." He will appear in the next hearing, the date of which has not been determined.