It was during the filming of the western film “Rust” in October 2021 that Alec Baldwin pointed a gun at a camera and fired.
Shortly before, the film’s gun operator, 24-year-old Hanna Gutierrez Reed, had loaded the gun with what she thought were loose rounds.
When the gun was fired, there was a loud bang, and then 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins fell to the ground.
It turned out that the gun had been accidentally loaded with live ammunition. Hutchins, who was behind the camera, died as a result of her injuries.
Suspicions were written off
Hanna Gutierrez Reed has previously been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for causing the death of another.
Alec Baldwin was initially indicted along with Gutierrez Reed, but the charges against him were dismissed in April 2023.
In January, however, a new indictment was brought against Baldwin, who is now accused of having been guilty of manslaughter in connection with the shooting.
Baldwin has requested that the charges be dropped, but has been unsuccessful.
Both sides won successes
On Monday, the day before the trial, Baldwin’s defense attorneys won a partial victory, arguing that Baldwin’s role as co-producer of the film “Rust” is not relevant to the trial.
The prosecutors had hoped to claim that Baldwin, as co-producer, was also responsible for the security of the filming. Thus, one could bolster an alternative theory of guilt beyond his alleged negligent use of a firearm.
But the prosecutor’s side also had success on Monday. Prosecutors successfully argued to exclude the findings of a state workplace investigation that placed much of the blame on the film’s assistant director rather than on Baldwin.