Possible Criminal Charges Loom For Alec Baldwin And 'Rust' Crew

Will actor Alec Baldwin or anyone on the "Rust" crew face criminal charges for the death of Halyna Hutchins?

That is what everyone has been asking ever since the shooting took place on October 26, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch. A gun that was held by actor Alec Baldwin went off, although the "30 Rock" actor has insisted that he did not pull the trigger. The bullet struck and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

The Hutchins family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other “Rust” producers in February; however, by October, they had already settled. Matthew Hutchins, her husband, will serve as executive producer on the film, which is expected to resume production shortly.

A 551-page police report conducted by the Santa Fe police department was released to the public a month later; however, it still does not answer many of the questions left behind by the fatal shooting, such as how live bullets ended up on a movie set.

The case has been turned over to Santa Fe’s First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which will make the final decision when it comes to prosecuting individuals that they believe will be involved.

One source told TMZ that the decision on whether or not to file charges against Baldwin – or anyone else – in this case, will be announced by the end of this month.

Late last year, Deadline reported that Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies had sent a letter to the New Mexico Board of Finance requesting $635K to prosecute as many as four individuals with criminal and homicide charges related to the Rust tragedy. Ultimately, the Carmack-Altwies was only granted $317,750.

In the letter, the DA said, “one of the possible defendants is well-known movie actor Alec Baldwin.” However, Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas fired back at the letter, saying “that it would be premature to discuss the case because they had not yet reviewed the file or deliberated about their charging decision.”

“It is irresponsible to report otherwise,” Nikas added. “The DA has made clear that she has not received the sheriff’s report or made any decisions about who, if anyone, might be charged in this case.”

In the Santa Fe police department’s 551-page report, director Joel Souza described in detail what happened the day of the shooting. Souza told police that first assistant director Dave Halls was responsible for managing gun safety on the "Rust" set.

On the day Hutchins was shot, Joel says he remembers that Dave had announced that it was a “cold gun,” which means it was a gun that did not contain live rounds, before the crew took a break for lunch.

Souza said he was not sure who brought the gun to the set, but noted that the scene did not require Baldwin to draw his firearm. The report reads: “Joel explained, the shot required Alec to slowly draw the gun and partially take it out of the holster. When asked if the shot required Alec to fully draw the weapon and point it, Joel stated ‘no’ because they didn’t get that far.”

In November, Deadline announced that Story Syndicate will produce a documentary that will focus on the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The feature will reportedly explore her life, her celebrated body of works, and her sudden death on the set of the Western film in New Mexico.

The film will be directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Rachel Masson and will be produced by Julee Metz. At this time, no more details have been announced about the untitled documentary.

In a statement, Metz said, “Halyna and I worked in the same industry and shared a passion for storytelling, but what bonded us as friends was motherhood. Our families became incredibly close over the years and when the unimaginable happened, I knew I needed to pay tribute to Halyna by telling her incredible story in the fullest way possible.”

“Rachel and I are thrilled to be able to partner with Story Syndicate to make this vision come to life, and we’re honored that Matt Hutchins has entrusted us with her story,” Metz added.