Alec Baldwin could soon face criminal charges for allegedly firing the round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” as the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office prepares to release its final investigative report on the shooting, the NY Post reported.
First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies made an emergency request for $635,500 from New Mexico’s Board of Finance so her office would have the funds necessary to prosecute up to four people in connection with the incident, a copy of the request states.
She didn’t disclose who those four people are but noted in the request “one of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin” and the prosecution could require up to four separate jury trials, the document states.
Carmack-Altwies said she is expecting to receive the final investigation report from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office soon.
Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when it went off on Oct. 21, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. They had been inside a small church during setup for filming a scene.
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 have been fired unless someone pulled the trigger.
After receiving the bulk of the evidence, Santa Fe prosecutors determined “defendants from ‘RUST’ would need to be prosecuted immediately,” leading the office to move forward with the grant application, Carmack-Altwies wrote in the request.
“I am ready to start the decision of what individuals will be criminally charged in this case,” she wrote.