Actor Alec Baldwin faces manslaughter charges over 'Rust' murder

"Rust" producer Alec Baldwin and the film's weapons officer Hannah Gutierrez Reid will be charged with manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins, New Mexico District Attorney Marie Carmack Altois said in a statement.

On Thursday, the statement confirmed that "Rust" assistant director David Holes had signed an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to "a charge of negligence with the use of a deadly weapon." The statement added that the terms of this agreement include six months of suspended probation.

No charges will be filed against the film's director, Joel Souza, the statement said.

CNN has reached out to actor Alec Baldwin and Hana Gutierrez Reid, who is in charge of weapons on set in the film, for comment. CNN will also contact director Joel Souza.

Actor Alec Baldwin was in New Mexico filming his Western, "Rust," which he stars in and produces on Oct. 21, 2021. Police say he fired a projectile from a "claw" (non-live ammunition) handgun that the year-old actor was carrying. 68, on the set, which led to the death of photographer Helena Hutchins, 42, the film's director of photography. The film's director, Joel Souza, 48, was also injured in the accident.

A statement issued by law enforcement authorities at the time said that according to investigators, the scene filmed appeared to involve the use of a firearm, noting that "investigators are investigating how and what type of projectile was fired."

For his part, Elliott Williams, legal analyst for CNN, said that the prosecution decided to charge actor Alec Baldwin with manslaughter in the negligent death of cinematographer Helena Hutchins.

He added, "I am not at all surprised by these accusations, especially if the actor Alec Baldwin was separated from Alec Baldwin the producer, it would have been difficult to see him accused of a crime as an actor here."

"Alec Baldwin is actually being charged because he was someone responsible for what happened on set," Williams told CNN's Kate Baldwin. He maintained that the law defines this as "the duty of care that a reasonable person in a similar situation would have rendered". He explained that the order requires prosecutors to review events that occurred on other filming locations.

But Williams noted, "This was not a simple on-set accident, at least as public prosecutors have stated, nor was it a failure of command on set that resulted in an incredibly tragic death."