Fresh details prove Alec Baldwin is responsible for pulling the trigger that killed Halyna Huchtins in an accidental shooting on the set of Rust. After spending years in an out of the courtroom, the judge ruled in favor of Alec, dismissing all charges against him without prejudice in April 2023. Two months later, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis revealed that the actor may face fresh charges pending the results of ongoing investigations. It appears the odds are not in his favor this time.
New Findings Prove Alec Baldwin Pulled the Trigger in Rust Shooting
After a series of investigations, the nature of the gun used in the killing has been determined. Forensic reports obtained ruled that Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger of the prop Colt .45 revolver, which “unknowingly” contained live bullets. This gun could only have discharged its rounds if its trigger had been sufficiently pulled. By implication, for the Rust accidental shooting to occur, the bearer of the gun, Alec Baldwin, must have applied the ideal pressure required to set it off.
Aside from Alec Baldwin, some crew members involved in the Rust production also faced charges over the shooting, including armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The State of New Mexico hired firearms experts Lucien Haag and Mike Haag to investigate the prop gun as part of Hannah’s trial, hence the new discovery. In addition to the revelation that the handler must have sufficiently pulled the trigger to release the “fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” the experts claimed,
“This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger.”
The Broken Parts Did Not Affect Functionality
Additionally, the experts reassembled the gun during their investigations and discovered it functioned properly. Hence, despite having several parts like the trigger’s sear and the full-cock step, it maintained the operational design of “original Colt 1873 single-action revolvers,” with no signs of modification.
This forensic detail contradicts Alec’s initial claims during his court proceedings. Notably, the actor has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger and causing the gun to discharge while he held it on the New Mexico set. The incident, which took place in October 2021, led to the deaths of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring Joel Souza. With these emerging findings about the gun, the court may revisit Alec Baldwin’s Rust shooting case, slamming him with fresh charges as stated in the June 9 filing. This time on, he may have it worst, considering the reports prove his previous statements as false.
