Major Downgrade In Alec Baldwin's Rust Shooting Charge Marks Turning Point In Case

On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin became embroiled in a tragic shooting on the set of his film "Rust." The actor was rehearsing a scene with a prop gun that was supposed to be cold, but actually had a live bullet in it. Baldwin misfired, injuring the director, Joel Souza, and killing the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, CNN reported. Following the tragedy, the authorities launched a full investigation and announced Baldwin would be charged with involuntary manslaughter, along with the set's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. 

In January, Sante Fe, New Mexico's district attorney's office formally charged Baldwin with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. According to ABC News, a judge will decide during a preliminary hearing if the case will go to trial. If the jury finds the actor guilty, he could face up to five years in prison. However, in a surprising turn of events, the law has favored Baldwin and his charges have been significantly downgraded.

Alec Baldwin's lawyers are working hard to have him exonerated on manslaughter charges surrounding Halyna Hutchins' death, and they recently scored a big win. On February 10, Baldwin's attorneys filed a motion stating that the firearms enhancement charge law wasn't in effect at the time of the shooting, per TMZ. The law initially stated that the gun enhancement charge, which could have earned Baldwin five years in prison, only applied if the weapon was "brandished" and was intended to harm the person. However, the prosecutors tacked on the charge despite the law being amended to remove brandishing seven months after the tragedy on the set of "Rust" happened. Because Baldwin's shooting was allegedly an accident, the D.A. has dropped the charges. The actor now faces up to 18 months in prison, if he even serves any jail time. Subsequently, the D.A. dropped the same charge against armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, previously declared the charges a "terrible miscarriage of justice." He stated to Entertainment Weekly, "Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win." This is one major win for Baldwin, indeed.