Baldwin ‘Rust’ shooting: Famed lawyer says he’d be shocked if involuntary manslaughter charge not brought
Mark Geragos weighs in on new developments in the case on 'The Story'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Famed criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos said Tuesday that he would be stunned if an involuntary manslaughter charge is not brought following the on-set killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who allegedly was shot by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin.
"I will tell you I would be shocked if there wasn’t an involuntary manslaughter charge brought in this case," Geragos told "The Story" host Martha Maccallum.
Hutchins, 42, died last Thursday after Baldwin fired a loaded weapon that was handed to him by an assistant director who mistakenly believed it was safe to use on the New Mexico set of "Rust." Director Joel Souza was also hit and injured but has since been released from the hospital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the New Mexico set of 'Rust' when a projectile was accidentally fired from a gun. (AP/Getty Images)
While the investigation into the incident is ongoing, Geragos said it is likely that those found responsible will face significant legal ramifications.
"Who do they bring it against is a real question, because I don’t know that we’ve heard all the facts." Geragos said. " I don’t think anybody intentionally did this, from what has been reported. But clearly, somebody introduced live ammo on a set and was pointing it obviously at the director."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Detectives, operating under a search warrant executed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office, found that there were three key people who handled the firearm in question.
Alec Baldwin was handed the firearm by assistant director Dave Halls, who believed there was no ammunition loaded. (IMDb/Getty Images)
Armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed is said to have placed the prop gun outside of the church set location on a cart with other prop guns due to coronavirus restrictions. The next person to handle it was assistant director Dave Halls, who handed it off to Baldwin, announcing that it was a "cold gun," a term used to indicate to those on-set that the firearm was not loaded and therefore safe to handle.
Geragos said that Baldwin's role as a producer of the film could impact the consideration of charges.
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"Alec Baldwin is presumably in charge because he’s the producer and has a great voice on the budget here," Geragos said. "I guarantee you they’re also looking at whether or not people were shaving money or trying to cut costs and [whether] this is one of the results of that."