SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Courtroom testimony by an independent gun expert February 27th cast new doubt on Alec Baldwin's account that his gun went off without pulling the trigger in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.”
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter with a trial scheduled for July in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a movie rehearsal on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently on trial for her possible role in the death, pleading not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. The armorer's trial has complex implications for Baldwin, who has not appeared in court.
On February 27th, firearms expert Lucien Haag provided a lengthy demonstration of the workings of a single-action Colt revolver, like the gun held by Baldwin, and safety features that prevent a fully cocked hammer from striking and firing ammunition unless the trigger is depressed.
An FBI expert testified in court February 26th that the revolver used by Baldwin was fully functional with safety features when it arrived at an FBI laboratory. The expert said he had to strike the fully-cocked gun with a mallet and break it in order for it to fire without depressing the trigger.
Haag, an Arizona-based consultant and expert in Old West firearms, testified February 27th that he saw no evidence that the gun was broken or modified before it was tested by the FBI.
Haag and a colleague reassembled the gun with only one damaged part — the hammer — to demonstrate that safety features still functioned anyway — stopping the hammer under a variety of circumstances when the trigger was not depressed.
The jury watched a video of that experimentation with Baldwin's gun, as the hammer was pulled back and released multiple times — and caught each time by a safety notch before it could strike the ammunition chamber to fire the gun.
Defense attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed say problems on the “Rust” set were beyond the control of their client and have pointed to shortcomings in the collection of evidence and debriefings after the fatal shooting. They say the main ammunition supplier to “Rust,” Seth Kenney, wasn’t properly investigated.
Prosecutors argue that Gutierrez-Reed is to blame for bringing live ammunition on set and that she treated basic safety protocols for weapons as optional. They say six live rounds found on the “Rust” set bear identical characteristics — and don’t match live rounds seized from the movie’s supplier in Albuquerque.
