After an investigation established that Alec Baldwin fired the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins, a 42-year-old cinematographer, he may once more be charged with manslaughter.
Alec Baldwin, the star of the Western Rust, accidently shot and killed Hutchins back in October 2021 while practicing for the camera. He was supposed to have dummy bullets loaded into the ancient Colt.45 that he was holding, shots that wouldn’t even discharge if they were blanks. A live ammunition was accidentally inserted into the gun. The director was hurt, and Hutchins perished.
Following a thorough investigation, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie’s armorer, and Baldwin were both charged with manslaughter. David Halls, the assistant director who allegedly gave Baldwin the gun without first examining it, entered a no contest plea in March to a misdemeanor charge of careless use of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, six months of unsupervised probation, and completion of a gun safety course.

In April, the charges against Baldwin were dropped. Prosecutors later warned the charges could be refiled:
Recent developments in the case against Alexander “Alec” Rae Baldwin, III have necessitated additional research and forensic examination in advance of the preliminary hearing on May 3, 2023. As a result, we are unable to continue using the facts and evidence that law enforcement has provided in its current form under the time limits in place. So that we may carry out more research, we will be dropping the involuntary manslaughter accusations against Mr. Baldwin. Charges may be re-filed because this judgment does not free Mr. Baldwin of criminal responsibility. We will continue to actively pursue leads in our follow-up investigation.
Apparently, that “further investigation and forensic analysis” involved Baldwin’s ridiculous claim the gun went off without him pulling the trigger.
In December 2021, Baldwin stupidly sat down for a lengthy interview with ABC News. Here’s how he explained what happened to George Stephanopoulos…
“[Hutchins is] guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle,” Baldwin said. “I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit. So, I take the gun, and I start to cock the gun. I’m not going to pull the trigger,” he added. “And I cock the gun; I go, ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And then I let go of the gun’s hammer, and the gun goes off.”
I let go of the gun’s hammer, and the gun goes off.
Although I’ve never believed and still don’t believe Baldwin should face criminal charges, at the time, I found Baldwin’s claim ridiculous, if not a flat-out lie. Guns do not go off without someone pulling the trigger.
Well, it took almost two years, but a forensic investigation of the firearm has now concluded the same:
The experts reconstructed the gun, which had been broken during earlier testing by the FBI, and concluded that it could only have been fired by a pull of the trigger.
“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 report concluded. “Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
…
“If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed,” [prosecutors] wrote in a filing in June.
The only possible way to fire a gun without pulling the trigger is to pull back the hammer, release it, and have it snap against the bullet. BUT… In order to do that without manually pulling back the trigger, the gun would have to be defective beyond any practical use. Baldwin’s Colt .45 was obviously a working gun, but as he pulled back the hammer, the sears immediately clicked into place, ensuring the hammer could not snap loose and fire the round without depressing the trigger. That’s why a pistol click-click-click-clicks as the hammer is pulled back. Those clicks are the sears locking into place to ensure there’s no misfire if your thumb slips off the hammer. You MUST pull the trigger to release the sears that allow the hammer to spring forward and fire the cartridge.
Prosecutors say an announcement about refiling charges against Baldwin (or not) will be forthcoming.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login