Friday, June 21, 2024 - Alec Baldwin once fired a blank round at a crew member on the set of “Rust,” prosecutors alleged in new court papers, as they accused the actor of being reckless with firearms while filming.
Prosecutors in the New Mexico involuntary manslaughter case against the “30 Rock” star said they plan to bring evidence at his trial — slated to begin on July 9 showing that Baldwin had a history of flouting safety protocols on set, which led to Halyna Hutchins’ tragic shooting death in 2021.
One such reckless moment came when Baldwin, 66, pointed his
gun and fired “a blank round at a crew member” while he held the person target
in his line of sight, prosecutors alleged in the filing.
Other examples of Baldwin ignoring safety procedures between
Oct. 12, 2021 up until the day of the shooting included him using his gun as a
pointer; firing the weapon after filming was over in violation of safety rules;
holding his finger on the trigger in scenes that didn’t require it; rushing
armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to reload his gun faster; and being on FaceTime
with his family and making videos for them during firearms training, the court
papers claimed.
And before filming even started, Baldwin who is one of the
producers and the leading actor in the movie — “asked to be assigned the
‘biggest’ gun available,” the filing alleged.
Prosecutors said they have photos and videos of Baldwin
acting carefree on set, that they plan to show a jury.
In one clip, he “can be seen engaging in horseplay with his
gun and pulling his gun when the scene did not call for the pulling of his
gun,” the papers claimed. “When he pulls his gun the muzzle of the gun is
pointed directly at another actor.”
Prosecutors said many clips show an angry and aggressive
Baldwin, who can also be seen halting filming to yell and swear at the crew.
“Mr. Baldwin can be seen
screaming intermittently throughout the attempts at filming the scene,” the
filing claimed. “He exercises complete control over the set by stopping the
acting sequence, cursing loudly and rushing the other cast and crew.”
When pieced up, this “intrinsic evidence” of Baldwin’s
“other acts” leading up to Hutchins’ death shows that the incident wasn’t an
“accident or mistake” — as Baldwin has maintained all along, prosecutors said.
During a rehearsal on the set of the Western film, Baldwin
aimed his revolver in the direction of cinematographer Hutchins when it fired,
killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin pleaded not guilty and faces up to 1 and 1/2 years
if convicted.
The film's Armorer Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was sentenced to 18
months behind bars in April after her conviction on the same charge Baldwin now
faces.
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