Alec Baldwin shooting charges

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Criminal charges have been dropped against Alec Baldwin over a fatal on-set shooting, according to his lawyers.
This is shocking because he was a director! I don't believe he should have relied on his staff, as a director, he should have more awareness of guns. What are your views ? I have my views, but I'm open to the views of others :)


The Emmy-award winning actor was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the shooting during the filming of Rust in New Mexico.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live bullet fired from a prop gun that was being used by Baldwin in October 2021.

The development comes less than two weeks before a trial was set to begin.

"We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident," his lawyer, Luke Nikas, told the BBC in a statement.

Mr Baldwin had been practising firing the gun on set at a ranch near Santa Fe when it went off, fatally striking 42-year-old Ukrainian-born Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The actor denied pulling the trigger, although an FBI report later concluded that the gun could not have been fired without the trigger being pulled.

The film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter. It is unclear whether prosecutors will drop the charges against her as well.
A lawyer for Ms Gutierrez-Reed told AP News they "fully expect at the end of this process that Hannah will also be exonerated".

According to the LA Times, prosecutors had recently learned that the gun used in the shooting, a .45 Colt revolver, had been modified with a new trigger in a way that could have made a misfire more likely.

Prosecutors had accused Mr Baldwin, 65, of showing a "reckless" disregard for the safety of his colleagues.

Mr Nikas, a lawyer for the star of The Hunt for Red October, previously called the initial decision to charge his client "a terrible miscarriage of justice".

"Mr Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun - or anywhere on the movie set," Mr Nikas said.

"He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds."

In order to have been found guilty prosecutors would have had to convince a jury that he had acted with "criminal negligence".

If convicted, he could have faced up to 18 months in prison.

The Santa Fe district attorney had initially added a firearm enhancement charge, which could have added five years to his sentence.

But it was dropped after prosecutors determined that the enhancement law was not in place at the time of the shooting.

The decision to drop the charges comes on the same day that Rust resumed filming - 18 months after the shooting.

Melina Spadone, a lawyer for Rust Movie Productions, said new rules on the set "will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition".
"Live ammunition is - and always was - prohibited on set."

According to Variety magazine, Mr Baldwin is currently filming Rust on location in Montana.
 
So, if you kill someone you won't get to face punishment because of some crazy reason that enhancement law was not in place at the time of the shooting...are they kidding me right now?
I get that, but the person even had a manslaughter charge dropped! Absolute nuts! Sounds like celebs are above the law. :mad:
 
This is very shocking as he should have been the one to ensure the safety on the set and that things like what happened shouldn't have happened.

I was shocked to see that the charges had been dropped if I am honest but at the same time it's a little tough as I don't feel he even knew the gun was loaded with real bullets but then he should have been checking as well for safety reasons.

It's a tough one for sure but it seems he got away with it and I believe filming is now continuing.
 
I was shocked to see that the charges had been dropped if I am honest but at the same time it's a little tough as I don't feel he even knew the gun was loaded with real bullets but then he should have been checking as well for safety reasons.
Yeah, and not just taken the words of others.
It was a different kind of bullet easier to misfire, however he should have been aware of different types of bullets, as director.
 
Yeah, and not just taken the words of others.
It was a different kind of bullet easier to misfire, however he should have been aware of different types of bullets, as director.
This is very true. It seems that it was all taking people's words for it that the gun was safe and also miscommunication on set as well that resulted in the fatal shooting that happened. I can fully understand why he was as upset and distraught as he was as it was not intentional and I really do not believe he wanted anyone to get hurt on set.

As much as it has resulted in someone getting severely injured and killed through miscommunication and going by someone's word, hopefully, it has taught him and others to always check with people on set, keep them informed and check yourself.
 
This is very true. It seems that it was all taking people's words for it that the gun was safe and also miscommunication on set as well that resulted in the fatal shooting that happened. I can fully understand why he was as upset and distraught as he was as it was not intentional and I really do not believe he wanted anyone to get hurt on set.

As much as it has resulted in someone getting severely injured and killed through miscommunication and going by someone's word, hopefully, it has taught him and others to always check with people on set, keep them informed and check yourself.
Remorse and learning from your mistakes is the best sense of justice, agreed.
 
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