Alec Baldwin charged with manslaughter again in Rust shooting

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Alec Baldwin is facing charges of causing someone's death without intending to yet again for the tragic incident that occurred in 2021 on the Rust movie set, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

An actor was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on Friday (January 19th), bringing the case against him back to life. The filming of this movie took place in New Mexico.

In April, Baldwin no longer faced involuntary manslaughter charges. However, this week the case was presented before a grand jury in Santa Fe once again. This happened because new analysis of the gun that was used was given to prosecutors months after the charges were dismissed.

Baldwin's representatives, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, shared in a statement that they are eagerly anticipating their scheduled court appearance.

During a rehearsal for a Western movie on location in Santa Fe in October 2021, lead actor and co-producer Baldwin accidentally fired a gun he was holding at film crew members, killing cinematographer Hutchins and injuring director Souza.

Baldwin asserted that he did not push the trigger, only the hammer, and yet the firearm discharged.

Judges have decided to temporarily pause a number of legal cases that were filed by individuals seeking damages from Baldwin and the Rust production team. This decision came after prosecutors announced plans to present evidence to a grand jury. Many of the plaintiffs involved in these lawsuits were members of the crew working on the film.

In April, the special prosecutors dropped the involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin when they learned that the gun involved may have been altered and malfunctioned during the incident. However, they changed their approach later and started considering whether to reinstate the charge after getting a fresh assessment of the firearm.

Specialists in ballistics and forensic testing carried out an investigation using spare pieces to rebuild the gun utilized by Baldwin. This came after the pistol was harmed during an examination conducted by the FBI. The experts analyzed the gun and checked the tags left on a used bullet to arrive at their findings. They concluded that the trigger was either pulled or pressed.

Lucien Haag, who works for Forensic Science Services in Arizona, carried out an investigation which showed that Baldwin kept denying the fact that he pulled the trigger. However, Haag's analysis concluded that based on the tests, findings and observations, the trigger had to be pulled or pushed down to a certain degree to be able to release the cocked or retracted hammer of the gun that was used as evidence.

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who oversaw the weapons on the film's set, has entered a not guilty plea for charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence related to the incident. Her trial is set to commence in February.

In March of last year, David Halls, who was an assistant director and safety coordinator for the film Rust, admitted to handling a firearm in an unsafe manner and entered a plea of no contest. As a consequence, he was given a six month probationary period that was deferred. He also promised to be of help in the investigation into the shooting.

A previous report from the FBI discussing their examination of the firearm revealed that it was typical for guns like this to discharge without needing the trigger to be pulled if the uncocked hammer was impacted by force, like when the weapon is dropped.

During the testing phase, the only method that the testers were able to use to make the gun shoot was to hit it with a mallet while the hammer was lowered and positioned on the cartridge, or to pull the trigger when it was entirely primed. Unfortunately, the gun ultimately malfunctioned and was no longer usable.

Following the 2021 shooting, a number of legal actions were taken, which included claims related to unlawful death submitted by Hutchins family members. These claims were based on allegations that the defendants failed to uphold safety standards. Representatives of Baldwin and other defendants have challenged these claims.

The Rust Movie Productions firm was fined $100,000 by state workplace safety regulators. They were found guilty of numerous violations of industry protocols, highlighted by a report that production managers didn't respond effectively to two misfires on set before the unfortunate shooting.

Last year, the shooting of Rust recommenced in Montana. It was permitted by Matthew Hutchins, the departed cinematographer's husband, who was appointed as an executive producer through an arrangement.

Further coverage provided by The Associated Press.