Alec Baldwin could face another manslaughter charge after research shows he pulled the trigger on the gun that killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halina Hutchins.
October 2021 during camera rehearsal for Western rust, movie star Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots Hutchins dead. The old Colt .45 gun he was holding was supposed to be loaded with dummy rounds that didn’t fire, let alone blanks. Somehow live ammunition got into the firearm. Hutchins is dead and the manager is injured.
After a lengthy investigation, New Mexico prosecutors indicted Baldwin and movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reid for manslaughter. Assistant director David Halls, who is said to have handed the gun to Baldwin without checking it, did not file a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a weapon in March. He was required to serve six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24-hour community service, and a gun safety course.
Local residents and members of the local film community mourn the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film The Last at a vigil in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 23, 2021. there is (Mostafa) Basim Adly/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The charges against Baldwin were dropped in April. Prosecutors have since warned that charges could be refiled.
In recent days, and ahead of a preliminary hearing on May 3, 2023, new facts have emerged in the case against Alexander “Alec” Ray Baldwin III that require further investigation and forensic analysis. Therefore, under current time constraints, the facts and evidence handed over by law enforcement cannot proceed as is. Therefore, we have dropped the manslaughter charge against Mr. Baldwin and will conduct a further investigation. The decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal liability, and charges could be re-filed. Our follow-up will continue to be active and continuous.
Apparently, that “further investigation and forensic analysis” included Baldwin’s ridiculous claim that the gun fired without the trigger being pulled.
In December 2021, Baldwin foolishly gave a lengthy interview with ABC News. He described what happened to George Stephanopoulos as follows…
“[Hutchins is] She told me how she wanted me to hold the gun at this angle,” Baldwin said. “I have the gun as she told me to, but she ended up aiming at her armpit. So I pick up the gun and start cocking the gun. I pull the trigger.” I don’t intend to,” he added. “And I hold my gun up. I’m like, ‘Can you see that? can you see that? And I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun rang. ”
When I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun rang out.
See — Alec Baldwin: ‘Rusty’ Gun Said ‘Cold’ — Gun Fired After Hammer Released
I never believed Baldwin should face criminal charges, and I still don’t, but at the time I thought Baldwin’s claims were ridiculous, if not outright lies. . A gun will not fire unless someone pulls the trigger.
Well, it took almost two years, but the forensic investigation of firearms is complete. concluded same:
Experts concluded that the gun, which had been damaged during an earlier FBI experiment, could only be restored and fired by pulling the trigger.
“This fatal accident was the result of the hammer being manually fully retracted to the cocked position or being pushed backwards,” the report concludes. “Alec Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, but given the experiments, findings, and observations reported here, it would take a long time to release the hammer of a fully cocked or retracted evidence revolver. I had to pull or push the trigger hard enough.”
…
“If it is determined that the gun is not malfunctioning, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed.” [prosecutors] wrote in the June filing.
The only way to fire a gun without pulling the trigger is to pull the hammer back, release, and hit the bullet. But… to do that without manually pulling the trigger would require the gun to be impractically flawed. Baldwin’s Colt .45 was clearly a working gun, but when he pulled the hammer back, the sear snapped into place instantly, allowing the hammer to loosen and fire without the need to press the trigger. I can no longer. This is why the pistol makes a clicking, clicking, clicking sound as the hammer is pulled back. These clicks are the sound of the sear locking in place so that your thumb slips off the hammer and doesn’t misfire. You have to pull the trigger to release the sear and allow the hammer to pop forward and fire the cartridge.
Prosecutors say an announcement on reindictment (or not) against Baldwin will be forthcoming.
