Prosecutors take charge of probe into Baldwin shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. — A sheriff’s department submitted its investigative findings to prosecutors in the death of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on a film set in New Mexico in October 2021.
Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office spokesman Juan Ríos said Thursday that two binders of information were turned over to the Santa Fe-based district attorney’s office, without setting any recommendations about possible charges.
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He said the case file outlines all the evidence collected, including investigative interviews and forensic analysis of physical evidence by the FBI. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said through a spokeswoman that investigators and prosecutors will begin a thorough review to make a timely decision about whether to bring charges, without mention of specific deadlines.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after being wounded by a gunshot during setup for a scene in the movie “Rust” at a filmset on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office already has made public a trove of law enforcement files concerning the deadly shooting, including lapel camera video of the mortally wounded Hutchins, witness interrogations, email threads, text conversations, inventories of ammunition and hundreds of photographs.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has described “a degree of neglect” on the film set for “Rust” but is leaving decisions about potential criminal charges to prosecutors. The family of Hutchins — widower Matthew Hutchins and 9-year-old son Andros — recently settled a lawsuit against producers of “Rust” under an agreement that aims to restart filming with Matthew’s involvement as executive producer.
Baldwin has said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger. But a recent FBI forensic report found the weapon could not not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator determined the shooting was an accident following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports. Rust Movie Productions continues to challenge the basis of a $137,000 fine against the company by New Mexico occupational safety regulators who say production managers on the set failed to follow standard industry protocols for firearms safety.
