Alec Baldwin was 'on phone' during Rust firearms training - BBC

Alec Baldwin was connected the telephone during firearms grooming for a movie wherever helium fatally changeable a cinematographer connected set, prosecutors said, arsenic they charged him with involuntary manslaughter.

Santa Fe's District Attorney's Office accused the histrion of "many instances of highly reckless acts".

Halyna Hutchins died connected the acceptable of Rust successful New Mexico aft Mr Baldwin allegedly fired a prop gun.

The film's armourer has besides been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Mr Baldwin was "distracted" talking to household members connected his mobile telephone during grooming connected however to run the prop gun, Robert Shilling, a peculiar researcher for the territory attorney's office, wrote successful a connection of probable origin filed with the manslaughter charges.

If Mr Baldwin had performed mandatory information checks with armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and not pointed the weapon astatine Hutchins, the "tragedy would not person occurred", Mr Shilling argued.

"This reckless deviation from known standards and signifier and protocol straight caused the fatal shooting," helium said.

"Baldwin knew the archetypal regularisation of weapon information is ne'er constituent a weapon astatine idiosyncratic you don't mean connected shooting," Mr Shilling added.

Lawyers for Mr Baldwin and Ms Gutierrez-Reed person said they mean to combat the charges successful court.

Prosecutors successful New Mexico person said they person important grounds to complaint some Mr Baldwin and Ms Gutierrez-Reed for the decease of Ms Hutchins.

The charges were archetypal announced connected 19 January, and officially filed by Tuesday's deadline.

If recovered guilty, Mr Baldwin and Ms Gutierrez-Reed could look up to 18 months successful situation and a $5,000 (£4,050) fine. They volition beryllium tried by a jury, according to prosecutors.

Ms Hutchins died successful infirmary aft she was changeable successful the thorax by a prop weapon allegedly fired by Mr Baldwin during a rehearsal astatine Bonanza Creek Ranch adjacent Santa Fe.

Mr Baldwin has antecedently denied work for the shooting, saying the weapon had misfired and that helium was not alert it was loaded.

But photos and videos from the Rust shooting picture Mr Baldwin practising drafting and firing the limb with his digit wrong the trigger defender and connected the trigger aggregate times, prosecutors said.

In addition, officials with the FBI recovered the weapon could not beryllium fired without pulling the trigger, according to a study the bureau sent to the Santa Fe County Sherriff's Office.

The 30 Rock histrion has filed a suit against Ms Gutierrez-Reed and different radical progressive with the film, alleging they failed to cheque the weapon carefully.

Ms Gutierrez-Reed has said she had checked that the rounds she loaded successful the prop weapon were dummies earlier it was handed to the film's adjunct manager Dave Halls, who past handed it to Mr Baldwin and told him it was an unloaded gun.

Ms Gutierrez-Reed besides told New Mexico's workplace information bureau aft the shooting that the incidental could person been prevented had she had much clip to bid Mr Baldwin to grip the prop gun.

An archetypal probe into the incidental recovered determination was "a grade of neglect", and producers were fined much than $136,000 by the New Mexico Environment Department for failing to enforce information protocols.

Mr Halls has entered a blameworthy plea to a misdemeanour complaint of negligent usage of a deadly weapon, prosecutors said. He volition walk six months serving probation.

When the charges were archetypal announced, a lawyer representing Ms Hutchins' husband, Matthew, said the cinematographer's household supported the charges. "It is simply a comfortableness to the household that, successful New Mexico, no-one is supra the law," helium said.