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How many years does Alec Baldwin face in jail? Internet feels he 'won't be convicted' in 'Rust' shooting

'I'm no fan of his, but it does seem like a bit of a stretch for criminal charges,' said a social media user

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Alec Baldwin will be officially charged by the end of January with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie 'Rust'. The charges were announced by the New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies on Thursday, January 19. If convicted, he could be behind bars for five years.

The 64-year-old actor seen in 'The Departed' accidentally fired a fatal shot on the sets of 'Rust' killing Hutchins. The movie's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also facing the same charges as Baldwin. Both, however, have decided to fight these charges. Dan Abrams explains, "They just threw the book at Alec Baldwin. Not only is he facing an involuntary manslaughter charge but they added another option which would increase the sentence from up to 18 months, to a five year MANDATORY sentence." The first assistant director of 'Rust', David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. The actor faced backlash when his attorney Luke Nikas told the press that they would "fight these charges, and … win" The Internet, however, is split when it comes to the charges as some believe the charges are accurate and some think that Baldwin got a bit too much.

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Alec Baldwin's charges spark mixed reactions online

One user agreeing with the charge wrote, "They also didnt overcharge him, which is good. These charges are easy to prosecute and easy to get a conviction. It doesnt pay to play the "Im a celebrity from New York" card in rural New Mexico." Another user said, "I agree w the charges - not sure about sentencing though. As a veteran actor, he should no better than to solely rely on someone's word when it comes to a gun. And it wasn't even the armorer that gave the gun to him." One more person agreeing wrote, "He refused to take gun training, and it does not matter that it was a prop gun. He was a producer on the film and should have known this. Lots of mistakes occurred on the sets in regards to gun safety that should have been addressed by Baldwin." Another person said, "Glad to hear they are finally bringing charges!!! There is NO excuse for what happened!!!"

The rest of the people do not agree with the charges. One person wrote, "I'm curious to see if this is because of his role as producer or because he pulled the trigger. I'm no fan of his, but it does seem like a bit of a stretch for criminal charges." Another user said, "I don't agree. An actor isn't responsible for a prop which fails. The props manager and staff, or, in this case, the armourer and her manager, are responsible. I don't think he'll be convicted." One person who has a personal history with the actor said, "I sued Alec Baldwin and his mother and won (look it up), but even I think Alec should not be charged. Alec is not a nice guy, but he is not a murderer. This was a accident." A user wrote, "Hmm. I'm no attorney and certainly no Baldwin fan, but I'm not sure I agree with the charges."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online