ALEC BALDWIN may face an involuntary manslaughter charge following the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of his upcoming western movie Rust.
Baldwin fired a prop gun during filming, which is understood to have mistakenly contained a live round, which hit and killed cinematographer Hutchins and injured writer-director Joel Souza - who were both standing behind the camera.
Investigations are now underway to determine exactly how the tragedy occurred.
Baldwin has reportedly claimed to have not been aware that the gun wasn't safe, but that might not be enough to save him from punishment.
According to US attorney Joseph Costa, Baldwin could be charged due to the fact that he has a producer role on the film, meaning that he was - in effect - in charge of safety on set.
"As an executive producer, you are in a position of control and you can get prosecuted criminally," Mr Costa told the New York Post.
"It's the equivalent of drinking and driving, meaning someone may not have intended to cause great harm, but they do."
Hutchins is survived by her husband and son, who were both seen hugging Baldwin days after the incident.
Ms Hutchins' father has absolved Baldwin (63) of any blame, telling the Sun on Sunday that responsibility lies with the film's armoury team.
If weapons of any kind are used on the set of a movie or TV show, whether real or fake, an armourer must supervise its use and ensure that the props are safe and used properly.
It's been reported that the prop gun which killed Hutchins had been used by crew members offsite for a bit of fun.
TMZ claims that it was loaded with live rounds when it was used for what was essentially target practice.
