Alec Baldwin Case: Prosecutors Don’t Drop Criminal Charges Against Involved

AFP

As the events that led actor Alec Baldwin, 63, to take a fatal shot at the director of photography are revealed, the question remains: who, if anyone, will be held responsible for Halyna Hutchins’ death?

Authorities haven’t arrested anyone, but prosecutors have not ruled out the possibility of bringing criminal charges against those involved in this tragedy, which took place on Thursday of last week on the set of the low-budget western “Rust” in the state of New Mexico.

Analysts told AFP that, in theory, prosecutors could explore two avenues for prosecuting Baldwin: as the actor who pulled the trigger during rehearsal or as the film’s producer.

But everyone considers it unlikely that a criminal indictment against Baldwin for having fired the revolver he received from assistant director Dave Halls, who said it was a “cold gun,” a term used in the film industry to claim that the gun is safe, is unlikely. .

“Reasonably, he seems to have believed it was not a loaded gun,” said University of Southern California law professor Gregory Keating.

In order to consider the crime of manslaughter, reckless conduct must exist. “Alec Baldwin doesn’t seem to have much responsibility … the further away you are from the person responsible for the gun, the less likely it is,” said Kaplan Marino’s criminal defense attorney Richard Kaplan.

Baldwin said in a statement that he is “fully cooperating with the police investigation to find out how the tragedy happened.”

‘NOT PERSONAL’

“Rust” has 12 credited producers and executive producers, including Baldwin. In Hollywood, the title has a range of meanings, ranging from the person with the most authority on the movie set to someone who helps raise money for a film’s production.

It’s still unclear which of the 12 was responsible for hiring the film crew members and who was responsible for enforcing security regulations. The film’s producer did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

“Personally, I think (Baldwin) is very far away,” said Kaplan. “When you’re a top-notch actor and you get producer credit … it’s really just for economic reasons.”

“It just looks like an investor,” agreed Keating in reference to Baldwin’s role as a producer.

Separated from the criminal investigation, experts consider it very likely that the family of Hutchins and director Joel Souza, who was also injured by the shooting, will initiate legal proceedings.

The lawsuits would likely target the film’s producer, as well as “anyone who has had contact, even remotely, with the weapon,” said legal counsel Bryan Sullivan. “I believe everyone will be prosecuted.”

Sullivan says he believes Baldwin should be included in any civil suit because of his fortune and because his fame would help attract press coverage.

“I doubt the assistant director has considerable wealth, so the plaintiff’s attorney will try to include Alec Baldwin’s name to get the money.”

Legal analysts have named other people who could be prosecuted, including Halls and gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

The role of gunsmith is to manage and keep the weapons in custody during filming. Entertainment website The Wrap reported that staff members used the weapons hours before the incident that led to Hutchins’ death.

Neither Gutiérrez-Reed nor were found to comment on the issue.

“Rust” crew members complained about protocol violations during filming. A gun was fired by mistake at least twice on set a few days before Hutchins’ death, according to American media.

Ultimately, for any attorney representing the director of photography’s family, the target of the civil action “is not personal,” Kaplan said. “He just tries to get as much as he can for the family.”