Alec Baldwin accused of breaking gun rules, as Rust shooting trial begins
- The Hollywood star’s lawyer argued he was failed by the film’s safety experts, leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
A New Mexico prosecutor on Wednesday said Alec Baldwin broke “cardinal rules” for handling guns in the 2021 killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, while his lawyer said he was failed by the film’s set safety experts who already have been convicted in the case.
The 66-year-old Baldwin, on trial in Hollywood’s first on-set shooting fatality in three decades, took notes at the defence table and listened calmly in his involuntary manslaughter trial. The prosecution is largely unprecedented in US history, holding an actor criminally responsible for a gun death during filming.
A New Mexico jury heard prosecutor Erlinda Johnson outline arguments Baldwin disregarded safety during filming of the low-budget movie when he pointed a gun at Hutchins, cocked it and pulled the trigger as they set up a camera shot in a filmset church southwest of Santa Fe.
“The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin,” Johnson said.
