'Everything is on the table.'
Alec Baldwin may be subject to criminal charges following the fatal shooting that took place on the Rust film set last week, according to a US prosecutor.
Baldwin, 63,
discharged a firearm on the set of Rust in an accident that killed 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
The shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, happened in the middle of a scene that was being rehearsed.
It has been
reported that Baldwin was informed that the device he was using was "cold" and thus not loaded.
With an investigation underway, Santa Fe County district attorney Mary Cormack-Altwies has said her team "haven't ruled anything out" at this juncture and that prosecution may follow.
"Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table," she said.
The New York Times
reports that the investigation is particularly focusing on ballistics and precisely what kind of round was responsible for killing Halyna Hutchins.
“There were an enormous amount of bullets on this set, and we need to find out what kinds they were,” Carmack-Altwies said.
The district attorney has moved to dispel previous accounts that the gun used by Baldwin was a prop.
"It was a legit gun," she said. "It was an antique-era appropriate gun."
According to an account provided by Rust director
Joel Souza, the incident occurred as Baldwin was practicing a "cross draw" for an upcoming scene.
An affidavit reads:
"Joel stated that they had Alec sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw. Joel said he was looking over the shoulder of (Hutchins), when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop.
"Joel then vaguely remembers (Hutchins) complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection.
"Joel also said (Hutchins) began to stumble backwards and she was assisted to the ground."
On Friday evening, Baldwin expressed his "shock and sadness" over the incident.
"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," he said on Twitter.
"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.
"My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna," Baldwin concluded.
