Alec Baldwin ‘violated’ rules and ‘played make believe’ with a gun, Rust shooting trial hears | Ents & Arts News

Alec Baldwin “played pretend with a real gun and violated cardinal rules of gun safety” on the day of the fatal shooting on the set of his western film Rust, a court heard.

Special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson made the statement as she opened the case against the Hollywood star in Santa Fe. New MexicoOn Wednesday.

But the defense team presented a different picture, saying that the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins‘The death was “an unspeakable tragedy” – but Baldwin “He was an actor, he acted” and “he did not commit any crime.”

During the first day of the trial, jurors were also shown footage of doctors desperately trying to save the cinematographer, described as a “vibrant 42-year-old rising star,” and treat director Joel Souza, who was also injured. . Clips of Baldwin on set before and after were also shown.

The 66-year-old is accused of involuntary manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty, always maintaining that he did not pull the trigger and that he was not responsible for ensuring security on the set.

And the critical question that really needs answering, his lawyers say, is how the real bullet ended up there. The court later heard from a crime scene technician who says he believed he recovered six live bullets in total from the set.

The high-profile trial will delve into gun safety and star power in a low-budget Western film, which was filming on the remote Bonanza Creek Ranch set when the tragedy occurred in October 2021.

Baldwin, whose real name is on trial, Alexander Rae Baldwin, faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted. He was supported in court by his wife, Hilaria, and his brother Stephen, who is also an actor, along with other friends and family.

In his opening statement, Johnson told jurors that the actor requested “the largest gun available” before arriving on set.

Baldwin was ‘reckless,’ prosecutor says

“The evidence will show that someone who fantasized about a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin,” he said.

The Rust set was a workplace, he emphasized. “The evidence will show that, like in many workplaces, there are people who act recklessly and put other people in danger. That, as you will hear, is the defendant.”

Prosecutors say they will present evidence to show that Baldwin went off script and did not follow basic industry standards for firearms safety.

Expert testimony will also delve into the mechanics of the gun and whether it could have been fired without pulling the trigger, something prosecutors consider impossible.

“That gun that the defendant had asked to be assigned worked perfectly fine as designed,” Ms. Johnson said.

‘You’ve all seen shootings in the movies’

However, in his opening statement, Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told jurors that the star behaved exactly as actors always do. “I don’t have to tell you more about this, because everyone has seen shootings in the movies,” he said.

“On a movie set, security must be in place before a gun is placed in an actor’s hand,” Mr. Spiro added.

Baldwin, who did not know the gun contained a real bullet, claimed it was accidentally discharged after following instructions to aim it at Ms. Hutchins, who was behind the camera.

Mr. Spiro reiterated several times in court that the responsibility for security did not rest with him. Instead, he said, it was the work of the film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a separate trial earlier this year, and assistant director David Halls, who pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon in 2023. .

Baldwin had been called “cold gun” before taking the revolver, not knowing there was a real bullet in it, the court was told.

“It had been checked over and over again by those responsible for ensuring the gun was safe,” Mr Spiro said.

“No actor in history” has “intercepted a real bullet from a prop gun,” he said. “No one could have imagined or expected an actor to do that.”

Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies were among those who testified during the first day of the trial.

His testimony described a chaotic scene, with a “group of people running everywhere.”

The trial continues and is expected to last about eight days.