Fans disagree on whether Alec Baldwin should be held accountable for the murder of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust set and the actor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office accused the actor of “several instances of extraordinarily hazardous behavior,” and he has now been legally charged.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie’s armorer, is also accused of premeditated murder.
According to documents describing the indictment, Baldwin may have been talking on the phone before cinematographer Hutchins was fatally shot as they were practicing with weapons.
Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin may each spend up to 18 months in jail and pay a $5,000 fine.
Newsweek has been in touch with the defense attorneys on each side.
For the past 15 months, information about the shooting has been made public and discussed. Following the accusation’s confirmation, social media users discussed Baldwin’s accusation and were divided on whether it was fair.
Twitter user @JoseGuzman97 referred to it as “very unjust,” while @velucifer capitalized the word “justice” in her tweet. Both succinct responses capture the variety of viewpoints expressed on Twitter about Baldwin.
Before having the facts clarified, Twitter user @roshanawallace first expressed their amazement at the accusations being brought against Baldwin. “Okay, I get why he’s being held somewhat accountable for this now. terrible condition everywhere “They distilled.
Celebrities have previously responded as well, with some supporting him and others applauding the charges against him. There is “no way in hell” Baldwin should be prosecuted, claims fellow actor Mickey Rourke in a long Instagram post.
The accusations made against Baldwin were utilized by some on Twitter and Reddit as a prompt to “DO NOT talk to the police without an attorney present. Ever, “@Pevei, a Reddit user, wrote.
Eliza Orlins, the public defender for New York City, had earlier tweeted the same thing.
She added, “Periodic reminder from your friendly career public defender: DO. NOT. TALK. TO. THE. COPS. no matter who you are and no matter what you have done or NOT done.”
Baldwin is seen confessing to having the pistol in video footage captured on a bodycam after the incident as he assists police with their investigations.
An item from the New York Times that stated “Baldwin was not required to speak with the police. You also do not.”
Vox’s senior journalist Marin Cogan talked about her experience speaking with the police following an incident. I’ve covered a small number (not many!) of criminal cases, and I’ve noticed this repeatedly. You believe you are assisting the police in learning the truth. They are assembling evidence against you “She conjectured.
After it was revealed that Baldwin is being charged, his lawyer Luke Nikas responded by telling Newsweek that there are preparations to contest the accusations.
There was no reason for Mr. Baldwin to think the rifle or the film set contained a live bullet. He trusted the experts with whom he worked when they informed him that the rifle was empty of live ammunition. We’ll fight these accusations and prevail “said he.
Jason Bowles and Todd J. Bullion, the attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed, also issued a statement defending their client. They said to Yahoo: “Hannah has always been deeply saddened by this unfortunate catastrophe and is still quite upset about it. She did not, however, kill someone accidentally. These accusations are the outcome of a seriously poor investigation and an incorrect assessment of all available information. Hannah will be cleared of all charges when the complete truth is revealed, in our opinion.