Alec Baldwin showed a total disregard for safety and possessed “no control” of his emotions on the 2021 set of “Rust,” where he inadvertently fired a live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, according to prosecutors.
The 66-year-old “30 Rock” star, who was producing and starring in the Western, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January, a year after he was first charged for his alleged role in the shooting that ended Hutchins’ life and wounded director Joel Souza.
Now responding to his lawyers’ motion to drop the latest charges, special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis say the Emmy winner displayed a “complete lack of concern for the safety of those around him” on the New Mexico set, Sky News reports.
“To watch Mr. Baldwin’s conduct on the set of ‘Rust’ is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him,” reads their latest court filing. “Witnesses have testified that it was this exact conduct that contributed to safety compromises on set.”
Citing footage and interviews with members of the crew, the filing alleges that Baldwin “was in charge” and, while “most everyone else noticed” that armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was “inexperienced and overwhelmed,” the actor couldn’t see she was “not up to the job,” per Sky.
The new filing comes just days before Gutierrez-Reed, whose role put her in charge of supervising weapons on the “Rust” set, is to be sentenced next Monday, after she was found guilty last month of involuntary manslaughter. The 26-year-old’s conviction carries a sentence of up to 18 months behind bars and a $5,000 fine, according to The Associated Press.
Baldwin, who has denied wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty in January and is set to stand trial in July. His lawyers decried the charges against him as “an abuse of the system” in their motion to dismiss.
Prosecutors meanwhile say Baldwin has consistently recounted “a different version of events … and his later statements contradicted his previous statements.”
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