First conviction after the accident on the set of the film Rust. It is that of the first assistant, Dave Halls, who had handed Alec Baldwin, on October 21, 2021, a weapon supposed to be loaded with blank bullets, which the actor had activated, killing Halyna Hutchins and injuring the director, Joel Souza. Dave Halls, 63, had given him the weapon, informing him that it was “cold”, or not dangerous in Hollywood jargon. He was convicted of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Alec Baldwin, as well as filming gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, have both been charged with manslaughter and face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The police investigation focused in particular on determining how live ammunition could have been found on this shoot on a ranch in New Mexico, which is strictly prohibited, precisely to avoid accidents. Police have concluded that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed put the ammunition in the gun used by Alec Baldwin, instead of a dummy bullet.
Halyna Hutchins’ family had filed a complaint against the actor in February 2022, accusing him through their lawyer of “dangerous behavior” and denouncing the cost-saving measures decided by the film’s producers, including Alec Baldwin, having according to them led to the death of the filmmaker. The 64-year-old American actor announced that he had reached an agreement with the victim’s family in October 2022. The agreement puts an end to the civil lawsuits brought by the family of Halyna Hutchins against Alec Baldwin. The amount of this negotiated agreement, which must then be validated by a judge, was not disclosed.
Prosecutor Kari Morrissey estimated during the hearing on Friday in a New Mexico court that Dave Halls, who also assumed the role of security coordinator for the low-budget filming and was thus the “last line of defense”did not have “checked every cartridge in the gun to confirm they were blanks”. Alec Baldwin, 64, best known for the ’30 Rock’ series, has always said he was assured his gun was harmless. By pleading guilty on Friday, Dave Halls agrees to testify in the future on the matter.