New evidence presented by prosecutors alleges that Alec Baldwin was reckless with a revolver before the fatal shooting incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust” in 2021. The prosecutors made these claims ahead of Baldwin’s July manslaughter trial.

According to special state prosecutors, the evidence includes images and videos from crew members and a set photographer, showing Baldwin engaging in unsafe behavior with the gun. This includes pointing the gun at a crew member and firing a blank round, keeping his finger on the trigger when not supposed to, and engaging in horseplay with the weapon.

In response to these allegations, Baldwin’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing that prosecutors had based their case on the assumption that the gun was properly functioning and could only fire if the trigger was pulled. Baldwin denies pulling the trigger and his legal team suggests that the gun may have been modified to fire without a trigger pull, a critical issue in the case.

The tragic incident occurred when armorer Hannah Gutierrez mistakenly loaded a live round into Baldwin’s reproduction Colt .45 revolver on the movie set. Gutierrez was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison. If found guilty, Baldwin could face the same sentence.

Baldwin, known for his role in “30 Rock,” claimed that he was directed to point the gun at the camera, cocked it, and it discharged on its own.

New evidence that prosecutors plan to present at the trial includes an image taken by set photographer Karen Kuehn moments before the shooting, showing Baldwin with his finger inside the trigger guard and thumb on the hammer. Additionally, a video clip captured by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell shows Baldwin cocking the gun and possibly pulling the trigger.

Prosecutors also allege that another video from the day of the shooting shows Baldwin pointing the revolver in a direction not instructed, cocking the gun, and potentially pulling the trigger, despite not being asked to do so.

The prosecutors highlighted industry guidelines for firearms safety in the movie industry, emphasizing the importance of never putting a finger on the trigger until ready to shoot, treating all firearms as loaded, and avoiding pointing guns at others unless absolutely necessary and under the guidance of a safety expert.

Some of the video evidence mentioned by prosecutors had already been shown during Gutierrez’s trial in March.

The trial is set to take place on July 9, where Baldwin will face charges related to the fatal shooting incident. The case has drawn significant attention and scrutiny, shedding light on safety protocols and practices in the entertainment industry.

/Digital Sauce

New evidence shows Alec Baldwin was reckless with a revolver before the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins
Baldwin pointed gun at crew member, fired blank round, held finger on trigger when not supposed to, and engaged in horseplay with weapon
Baldwin’s legal team argues gun was modified to fire without trigger pull
Hutchins died after live round was mistakenly loaded into Baldwin’s gun
Evidence to be shown at trial includes images and videos from crew members
Baldwin said he was directed to point gun toward camera, cocked it, and it "went off" on its own
Prosecutors allege Baldwin had his finger inside trigger guard and thumb on hammer in photo taken before shooting
Video clip shows Baldwin cocking gun and possibly pulling trigger
Baldwin asked to point gun left of camera and cocks gun, despite not being asked to
Movie industry safety guidelines were not followed by Baldwin
Some evidence had already been shown at trial of armorer Hannah Gutierrez