Fatal shooting on Rust set | Jurors selected, first hearings set to begin Wednesday

(Santa Fe) Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial began Tuesday with jury selection, which will weigh his responsibility in the death of the Western’s cinematographer. Rust.

The 66-year-old American comedian risks up to 18 months in prison for these events which date back to October 2021, on a ranch in New Mexico.

The star had brandished a gun that was supposed to hold only blanks, but instead fired a real projectile, killing Halyna Hutchins, the film’s director of photography, and injuring the director, Joel Souza.

The actor has always explained that he was assured that the weapon was harmless and denies having pulled the trigger. His lawyers have filed numerous appeals to try to drop the charges, to no avail.

The prosecution accuses him of having behaved erratically on the set, disregarding basic safety rules, and of having gradually changed his version of events.

This rare incident, covered by media around the world, shocked Hollywood and sparked calls to ban firearms on sets.

The outcome of the trial will be closely watched by the American film industry, as a conviction would set a historic precedent that could discourage other actors from using real weapons on set.

Low profile

Wearing a dark suit and a withdrawn expression, Mr. Baldwin kept a low profile as he arrived at the Santa Fe courthouse Tuesday morning, accompanied by his wife Hilaria, carrying one of their seven children.

At the end of the first day, the defense and the prosecution agreed on the choice of 16 jurors, including 11 men and 5 alternate women.

“Maybe he was in a movie that you didn’t like?” asked Alex Spiro, Mr. Baldwin’s lawyer. “I need to know if any of you have an opinion.” […] which would lead him to be hostile to him in one way or another.”

Potential jurors were also asked whether they own firearms or have worked in the film industry.

Mr. Baldwin is sometimes seen in Hollywood as the scapegoat for an accident that involved the entire production, only being persecuted because of his star status.

But his detractors point out that he was an executive producer on the low-budget film, even though he is only being prosecuted as an actor, and point out his diva-like behavior on set.

For them, the death of Halyna Hutchins, a talented 42-year-old professional from Ukraine who had participated in investigative documentaries, was entirely avoidable.

“Mr. Baldwin’s pressure on the crew on the set regularly compromised safety,” prosecutors said in court documents, denouncing an actor who “regularly yelled” at everyone and wanted to finish the film faster.

Gun broken during investigation

While the actor claims to have never pulled the trigger – a theory deemed “absurd” by the prosecution – his defense argues that he was not responsible for checking that the weapon was not loaded.

The investigation never established how live ammunition – which is in principle prohibited – ended up on the set. But the gunsmith of RustHannah Gutierrez-Reed, was already sentenced to 18 months in prison in April for her role in the case.

She was the one who placed the bullet in the reproduction of the period pistol used by the actor. A weapon that promises to be the subject of heated debate.

Mr. Baldwin’s lawyers dispute the FBI’s expert opinion, which concluded that the gun could not have fired without a trigger pull. The federal police damaged parts of the weapon while conducting tests to explore the possibility of an accidental shot.

The star’s lawyers have particularly insisted on this argument in an attempt to avoid a trial.

Since the tragedy, filming of Rust was completed in Montana, but the film has not yet been released in theaters.

The trial is expected to last around ten days and the first debates should begin on Wednesday.