Alec Baldwin could still be charged over Rust shooting
Topics: Alec Baldwin, Film and TV, Celebrity
Anish Vij
Featured Image Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images/ SANTA FE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Topics: Alec Baldwin, Film and TV, Celebrity
Alec Baldwin could still be charged over the Rust shooting after a new report by two firearms experts cast doubt over his version of events.
Earlier in April, the actor had all criminal charges dropped over the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
Hutchins, a cinematographer, was fatally shot in October 2021 when a gun Baldwin had been holding on set was fired.
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Prosecutors in Santa Fe charged the actor with two involuntary manslaughter charges, with Santa Fe's District Attorney's Office accusing him of 'many instances of extremely reckless acts'.
But the charges were dropped just three months after they were first filed, with prosecutors saying they had information that the gun could have been modified before Baldwin handled it and malfunctioned.
At the time, Baldwin's lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said: "We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident."
However, new court filings now suggest the gun might not have been modified after all.
According to a forensic report newly obtained by People, a firearms expert claims the trigger of the prop Colt .45 revolver must have been pulled 'sufficiently'.
"Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” reads the firearms report by experts Lucien Haag and Mike Haag.
They were hired by the State of New Mexico in its case against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer and weapons supervisor on the set of Rust.
With regards to reassembling the gun itself, it 'was found to function properly and in accordance with the operational design of original Colt 1873 single-action revolvers'.
Lawyers for Gutierrez Reed have said the report 'does not indicate any modification to the gun' and 'specifies that the trigger had to be pulled'.
On June 9, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis also wrote in a court filing that Baldwin could still face charges.
"The gun and broken sear have been sent to the state’s independent expert for further testing," they said.
"The charges against Alec Baldwin were dismissed without prejudice because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly effects causation with regard to Baldwin, not with regard to Gutierrez.
"If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed."
Last August, an FBI forensic report claimed that the gun 'could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger' unless the hammer was 'de-cocked on a loaded chamber.'
In an email to NBC, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said an official announcement on if charges would be refiled against Baldwin would be forthcoming.
UNILAD has contacted a representative of Alec Baldwin for comment.