Prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin engaged in ‘horseplay’ and acted recklessly on ‘Rust’ set

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As a film enthusiast with a deep appreciation for the intricacies and complexities of movie production, I find myself deeply troubled by the ongoing case surrounding Alec Baldwin and the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” The recent court filings revealing new evidence in the case have only heightened my concern.

Alec Baldwin, the actor in the “Rust” film, has consistently claimed that he didn’t deliberately pull the trigger of his Colt .45 pistol during the fatal incident on October 21, 2021. The cinematographer was positioned roughly four feet from him when the gun went off and took her life.

During an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News just over two months after the incident, Baldwin expressed, “I’d never aim a gun at anyone and pull the trigger.”

Determined New Mexico prosecutors aim to demonstrate that the actor-producer indeed pulled the trigger on the fatal day and exhibited recklessness during the making of the Santa Fe low-budget western film, resulting in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ death.

This week, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Erlinda O. Johnson have announced the types of evidence they plan to present during the upcoming July trial. In a court filing on Monday, we, the prosecutors, requested permission from the judge to exhibit several videos and photographs for the jury’s consideration. These pieces of evidence will depict Baldwin’s negligent behavior, including an image that shows him with his finger on the trigger while preparing for filming scenes.

A Santa Fe grand jury accused the 66-year-old actor of one charge of involuntary manslaughter in January. The weapon Baldwin used, unbeknownst to him, had live bullets. He has entered a plea of not guilty. If found guilty, he could spend up to 18 months behind bars.

Baldwin’s attorneys declined to comment on the latest court filings.

The filing by Morrissey and Johnson alleged that Baldwin did not take gun safety seriously.

In their report, the prosecutors described an incident where Baldwin had only one gun training session from the film’s armorer before filming started. During this session, he allegedly played rough with the revolver and was preoccupied with texting or video calling family members and creating content for their entertainment.

When it came to the production of the film, Baldwin took charge, urging crew members to pick up the pace against safer working conditions that were initially in place. According to the prosecutors.

In my movie review perspective, the character in question was quite the taskmaster. Instead of calmly waiting for the armorer to reload or giving the crew members their due time to complete their tasks, he urged them to work faster. He even went so far as to physically demonstrate with his gun how quickly they needed to move.

In January, a grand jury found it necessary to bring charges against Baldwin, as they believed he had acted carelessly by waving a loaded gun at Hutchins without verifying if it contained bullets first. Unfortunately, the film’s director, Joel Souza, was also hurt in the incident but managed to recover.

Last month, Baldwin’s attorneys argued that the criminal charges should be thrown out.

In a court filing, Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, contend that the state is attempting to convict and imprison Baldwin for an incident caused by others’ errors. They maintain that prosecutors are determined to secure a win against the well-known actor-producer regardless of the costs involved.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of New Mexico’s 1st Judicial District rejected the defendants’ request, allowing Baldwin’s trial to proceed. The trial, including jury selection, commences on July 9 and is estimated to span over eight days.

There’s been ongoing debate between the parties regarding whether Hannah Gutierrez, who was previously found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by another jury in March, should be allowed to testify. A judge named Marlowe Sommer handed down a sentence of 18 months in a women’s prison in New Mexico for Gutierrez.

Prosecutors want Gutierrez to testify about Baldwin’s alleged conduct with his gun on set.

In the 1880s rural Kansas setting, the film “Rust” focuses on a 13-year-old boy who is forced to flee with his estranged grandfather, portrayed by Alec Baldwin, after being condemned for an unintentional killing of a local rancher. Together, Baldwin and Souza penned the movie’s script.

SAG-AFTRA, the actors union representing Baldwin, along with his legal team, contend that Baldwin should not be held accountable for Hutchins’ death. They maintain that it is not an actor’s duty to ensure gun safety; rather, that responsibility lies with the armorer.

Among the pieces of evidence that Morrissey intends to introduce at Baldwin’s trial:

Just before the 911 call detailing the shooting of Mr. Souza and Ms. Hutchins, a photograph emerged of Mr. Baldwin handling his prop gun. In this image, it seems that he placed his finger within the trigger guard and rested his thumb on the hammer.

Based on my experience working as a scriptwriter for several years, I’ve come to appreciate the intricacies of crafting clear and concise narratives. Regarding the passage you provided, I’d suggest paraphrasing it as follows:

In a video recorded on set a few hours prior to filming, it was observed that “Mr. Baldwin was told to face the camera and brandish his firearm towards ‘camera left.’ He wasn’t instructed to prepare the gun by cocking it, but he did so unprompted.” (Morrissey’s description)

During his firearms training sessions, Baldwin played around with a horseplay-like behavior involving a revolver and filmed it using pull load blank rounds, as stated in Morrissey’s document.

As a dedicated film enthusiast, I’ve come across troubling accounts of unpredictable and hostile conduct on the set of Rust. The individual in question exhibited erratic behavior during filming, raising safety concerns due to his aggressive actions. Furthermore, this person demonstrated reckless handling of a firearm. An instance of this was when he aimed and discharged a blank round towards a crew member, using them as an unintended target.

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2024-07-18 22:06