Alec Baldwin Will Not Be Charged For Injuring 'Rust' Director Joel Souza In On-Set Shooting
The Santa Fe District Attorney's Office has determined that Alec Baldwin will not be charged for accidentally injuring director Joel Souza in the fateful shooting that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead.
Per D.A. sources, the It's Complicated actor was only guilty of what is referred to as an "unintentional battery," which is not classified as a crime.
This comes after Radar reported that Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for unintentionally firing a live round and killing Hutchins while filming his upcoming Western flick, Rust. The Boss Baby voice actor is being charged alongside set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
"If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today," special prosecutor Andrea Reeb said in a statement at the time. "It’s that simple. The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the Rust film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously."
Following the announcement, another member of the prosecution team, Mary Carmack-Altwies, slammed Baldwin in a scathing CNN interview, insisting he ran a "fast and loose set" when it came to safety procedures.
"There were live rounds on set, they were mixed in with dummy rounds," she alleged. "Nobody was checking those or at least they weren't checking them consistently."
Carmack-Altwies added that the actor "doesn't get a free pass" for being he's famous, and pointed out that just because it wasn't intentional does not mean it still wasn't a criminal act under the law.
- Alec Baldwin SLAMMED By Santa Fe DA After Hiring 'Fancy Lawyers' To 'Distract' From Fatal 'Rust' Shooting
- Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter In Fatal 'Rust' Shooting, Faces Up To 5 Years In Prison
- Alec Baldwin Named As 'Possible Defendant' In 'Rust' Shooting: Charges Loom For Movie Star Days After He Welcomed New Baby
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However, Baldwin's legal team is gearing up for a fight, with lawyer Luke Nikas calling the charges a "terrible miscarriage of justice." Arguing that the 30 Rock star was unaware there was a live bullet in the chamber that fateful day on set, Nikas noted he was forced to rely on the armorer and other professionals on set "who assured him the gun did not have live rounds."
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TMZ reported Baldwin will not be charged for shooting Souza.