Actor Alec Baldwin could be charged again following a forensic examination of the gun he was holding during a deadly shooting on the set of Rust. The exam, which involved reconstructing the gun, concluded the firearm could only have been discharged if the trigger was pulled.
Baldwin’s defense had argued that the weapon’s modification for use in the film could have caused it to go off without anyone pulling the trigger, but the study suggests that the shooting was caused by “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 special prosecutors in the case, who commissioned the report, previously indicated that they would refile charges against Baldwin “if it is determined that the gun did not malfunction”. No charges have been filed as of the time of publication, but the prosecutors say a formal announcement is “forthcoming”.
In the meantime, the case against Rust armorer Hanna Gutierrez-Reed, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering, is set to proceed to trial in December.
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