The charges - announced by prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies Thursday - came after a lengthy investigation into the October 2021 shooting on a film set outside Santa Fe.
Carmack-Altwies on Thursday said (quote):
"After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the 'Rust' film crew...On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice."
Hutchins was killed when a revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with fired a live round that hit her and movie director Joel Souza, who survived.
In addition to Baldwin, the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed also faces involuntary manslaughter charges.
David Halls, the assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin - has signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, Carmack-Altwies said in her statement.
Baldwin's attorney says the decision to file charges represent "a terrible miscarriage of justice"
"These are pretty severe charges."
Criminal defense attorney Rachel Fiset:
"They have charged three people. One has already pled. They've charged Alec Baldwin. And the armorer is Gutierrez. And it appears that the D.A. has decided to focus in the charging decisions on who exactly was handling the gun. And that is where their focus is."
Baldwin has denied responsibility for Hutchins' death and said live rounds should never have been allowed onto the set of the low-budget movie.
Baldwin said he was told the gun was "cold," an industry term meaning it is safe to use.
In a 2021 television interview, the actor told ABC News he did not pull the trigger of the replica Pietta .45-caliber long Colt revolver and it fired after he cocked it while rehearsing camera angles with Hutchins.
An FBI forensic test of the single-action revolver found it "functioned normally" and would not fire without the trigger being pulled.
"...everything for the armorer and Alec Baldwin comes down to criminal negligence and a determination that they were not acting with reasonable care, they were being criminally negligent, which means they were grossly negligent in their action."
Involuntary manslaughter is considered an unintentional killing and carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison in New Mexico and a $5,000 fine. Should prosecutors prove there was more than simple negligence involved in the use of a firearm, they could face a five-year jail term.
