The prosecutors in the latest case against actor and producer Alec Baldwin concerning the death of a cinematographer on the set of his movie, Rust, are accusing him of having a history of reckless treatment of firearms.
State prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Erlinda Johnson alleged on Monday that Baldwin had fired at least one blank round from his firearm at the crew before the incident that led to the death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. The filing also alleges that he was seen engaging in “horseplay” with guns and that he was “erratic and aggressive,” all of which raised safety concerns, according to Variety.
The prosecutors signaled that they intend to introduce more unsafe use of firearms and Baldwins behavior — some on video — which was introduced during the trial of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, which led to her conviction and 18-month prison sentence.
One video in the Reed trial showed Baldwin aiming his Colt-style single-action revolver at the crew and then firing the blank at them after the director said “cut.”
Other videos showed Baldwin constantly fidgeting with the gun by cocking it and un-cocking it repeatedly, and brandishing it with his finger on the trigger, both violations of movie industry gun safety practices.
Prosecutors say that Baldwin even refused to be held to proper gun safety procedures when Rust finally resumed filming in Montana after a nearly two-year delay in the wake of the death of Hutchins.
The evidence, prosecutors say, shows that Baldwin’s unsafe behavior was ongoing long before and even after the deadly incident in 2021.
The filing was made in order to alert the defense about some of the evidence that prosecutors intend to raise during the coming trial to give the defense an opportunity to object.
Baldwin’s team has not yet responded to the filing.
The trial is set to begin on July 9 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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