19 January 2024 , 19:33
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Movie star Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death a crew member on the set of his western Rust.
The tragic incident occurred when Alec was filming Rust with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Originally, the charge was dropped due to questions regarding the Colt .45 functionality after Alec claimed he never even pulled the trigger. During the original FBI investigation, the Colt was broken, bringing the investigation to a further standstill after Alec's claim.
Upon this new-found indictment, his attorneys, Lukas Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement to The Mirror on Friday: “We look forward to our day in court."
READ MORE:Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann went to same school as Alec Baldwin
Alec shot the cinematographer after being instructed to point the gun at the camera (Instagram)This shakeup comes as no surprise to the defending attorneys as prosecutors said in October they planned to work quickly to take the case to a grand jury, citing "additional facts” that they claim to have discovered.
Alec Baldwin accused of 'wilful disregard for others' safety' before Rust death
While the legal process was put on a standstill, special prosectors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis continued their efforts to compile evidence against Alec. They sent the gun to forensic testing. After reconstructing the Colt, the latest determination from experts Lucien and Michael Haag was that the gun's trigger would need to be pulled for it to go off.
The report explained: This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger.
The star denies any wrongdoing (AFP via Getty Images)"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.”
A video recently surfaced showing Alec firing blank bullets on the set and telling crew "I don't want to shoot towards you" in the days prior to the incident. In the video from NBC News, he expressed concern for the safety of crew members. He said: "I don't know why you're going up hills and all this other... you're going to break your f**king neck."
Previously, Alec's lawyers told The Mirror : "It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court."
He maintains that he did not pull the trigger (GC Images)
The Colt .45 was sent to experts for a determination to be made (GC Images)It is not standard practice to bring live rounds onto the set of a movie in Hollywood. Before the incident, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed meant to load a dummy round into the barrel, but a live round was loaded instead. During a testimony, Hannah pointed fingers to prop supplier Seth Kenney who denies supplying live rounds.
Alec previously told ABC News in 2021: "I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."
The production company for the movie agreed in Feb. 2023 to pay a $100,000 fine to the New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau. Through a settlement process, while the producers paid the maximum fine, it was legally downgraded to a lesser offense.