Actor Alec Baldwin was seen waving a gun around on the film set where a cinematographer was tragically shot, according to court testimony.
The trial of the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, revealed footage of Baldwin instructing her to reload the gun more quickly.
The cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, lost her life in the incident that took place on the set near Santa Fe in New Mexico in October 2021. The video shown during the trial displayed Baldwin armed with a pistol loaded with blanks, pointing and firing the gun dangerously close to camera operators.
Prosecutors have argued that Baldwin endangered safety by rushing production. Firearms expert Bryan Carpenter testified that Gutierrez-Reed should not have allowed herself to be rushed, as it compromised the safety protocols on set.
During emotional testimony, Rust’s first assistant director, Dave Halls, defended Baldwin and took responsibility for not performing a final check on the gun himself. Halls pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon last year.
As the armourer on set, Gutierrez-Reed is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence, which could result in a prison sentence of up to three years if convicted.
The case against Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter was dropped last year but reinstated in January based on new forensic evidence, leading to a separate trial scheduled for July.
