Actor Alec Baldwin has been charged with the murder of a Ukrainian cameraman

Alec Baldwin has been charged with manslaughter in a fatal shooting on a movie set. A grand jury in New Mexico has indicted the actor in the shooting on the set of the film Rust that killed cameraman Galina Hutchins.

Actor Alec Baldwin faces a new charge of manslaughter in connection with the murder of a cameraman on the set of the film Rust in 2021, writes The Guardian.

A grand jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, indicted Baldwin on Friday, months after prosecutors dropped the same criminal charge against him.

During rehearsals in October 2021 on the set of the western “Rust,” Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Galina Hutchins when it fired, fatally striking a woman of Ukrainian descent and wounding Joel Souza, the film’s director.

Alec Baldwin, the film’s co-producer and star, claims he did not pull the trigger but pulled the hammer back before it fired.

Last April, special prosecutors dismissed Baldwin’s manslaughter charge, saying the firearm may have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned, and that forensic testing was warranted. But in August, prosecutors said they were considering refiling charges once a new analysis of the weapon was completed.

A report from ballistics and forensics experts commissioned by prosecutors said: “Although Alec Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations presented here, the trigger must have been pulled sufficiently to release a fully cocked or pulled back hammer of a revolver for evidence.”

Prosecutors presented the new case to a grand jury in Santa Fe this week.

“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in an email Friday.

Alec Baldwin and his co-producers are also facing civil lawsuits seeking financial compensation, including from members of the Rust crew, but judges have put those cases on hold while the criminal case is pending.

As The Guardian recalls, Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, the head of the weapons company Rust, was previously charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence, and her trial is scheduled for February.

Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty last year. Prosecutors argued she acted recklessly when she handed the loaded gun to Baldwin on set and accused her of failing to make sure all the bullets in the firearm were dummy rounds. Gutierrez-Reed was also accused of drinking alcohol the evening before the fatal shooting, with prosecutors suggesting she was hungover at the time of the shooting.

The tampering charge stems from allegations that Gutierrez-Reed gave a small bag of cocaine to someone else after she was questioned by police.

Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers, who previously sought to have manslaughter charges against her dropped, accused prosecutors of mishandling the case and attempting to “attack on the identity” of their client.

The former special prosecutor in the case resigned last year after Baldwin’s lawyers sought her removal because of her role as a state representative in the Legislature.

David Halls, the film’s assistant director and safety coordinator, pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of firearms last March. He cooperated in the investigation and was sentenced to six months probation. He and Baldwin said they did not know the gun contained live ammunition. When charges against Baldwin were dropped last year, Halls’ lawyer said: “Mr Halls never believed Mr Baldwin should be charged with a crime. This was a tragic accident that is best resolved outside of a criminal court.”

Rust Movie Productions also paid a $100,000 fine to New Mexico workplace safety regulators. The firm was accused of violating industry protocols and failing to fix problems that arose after two misfires on set before Hutchins’ murder.

“Rust” resumed production in April last year. Matthew Hutchins, the deceased’s husband, agreed with him to become an executive producer of the film.

The tragedy reverberated through Hollywood and led to increased gun safety, industry experts said.