A new report into the tragic shooting on the set of the film "Rust" has raised questions about the accuracy of actor and producer Alec Baldwin's account of the incident.
Baldwin has consistently denied pulling the trigger of the prop gun, which fired a live round and resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western film in October, 2021.
However, weapons experts have now said that the trigger "had to be pulled" in order for the gun to go off, according to BBC, which cited the new report written by weapons experts Lucien Haag and Mike Haag and given to prosecutors in New Mexico on Tuesday.
Although charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin were dismissed in April, prosecutors clarified that this does not "absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability" and noted that charges against him could be refiled.
According to the legal documents filed this week, prosecutors had previously mentioned having information about a possible modification to the gun used by Baldwin on the "Rust" set.
The legal team representing Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armorer, who was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, said the Haag's report "does not indicate any modification to the gun" and "specifies that the trigger had to be pulled," according to BBC.
"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," said an excerpt of the weapons report included in the court documents, which was cited by BBC.
"If the hammer had not been fully retracted to the rear, and were to slip from the handler's thumb without the trigger depressed, the half cock or quarter cock notches in the hammer should have prevented the firing pin from reaching any cartridge in the firing chamber," the legal document continued, according to BBC.
"If these features were somehow bypassed, a conspicuously off-centre firing pin impression would result," it further stated, BBC noted.
Last week, Gutierrez-Reed pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering related to the shooting. Her plea came ahead of a Dec. 6 jury trial investigating the death of Hutchins.
Baldwin's representatives meanwhile have declined to comment to BBC regarding the most recent update in the ongoing case.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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