(NewsNation) — Alec Baldwin’s trial over a shooting on the set of his movie “Rust” is set to begin this week, as he faces charges in his role over the death of a cinematographer.
The Oscar-winner is set for a pretrial hearing Monday, with jury selection slated to begin Tuesday.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ in 2021. If found guilty, he could spend up to a year and a half behind bars.
Both the prosecution and defense are expected to go over several motions involving witness testimony, subpoenas and transportation, to name just a few issues.
What happened in the “Rust” shooting?
Baldwin was an actor and producer on the “Rust” movie set when, during a rehearsal, he pointed a revolver at Hutchins, who was killed by a single bullet. Director Joel Souza was also injured but survived.
The gun was meant to have been loaded with explosive dummy rounds, which are meant to be nonlethal. An assistant director reportedly referred to the weapon as a “cold gun” before handing it to Baldwin, an indication the firearm was not loaded.
FILE – This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M, Oct. 23, 2021, used for the film “Rust.” A New Mexico judge is scheduled to consider at a Friday, June 21, 2024, hearing, whether to compel a movie set armorer to testify at actor Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust.” (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) 
FILE – This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct. 23, 2021, used for the film “Rust.” A New Mexico judge Monday, April 15, 2024, sentenced “Rust” movie armorer to 18 months in prison for fatal on-set shooting by Alec Baldwin. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) 
FILE – Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the former armorer at the movie “Rust,” listens to closing arguments in her trial at district court, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. The movie weapons armorer is appealing her conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.” In court documents released Tuesday, May 14, 2024 a defense attorney for Gutierrez-Reed filed a notice of appeal of the March conviction by a jury. (Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP, Pool, File) 
FILE – Alec Baldwin emcees the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala at New York Hilton Midtown on Dec. 9, 2021, in New York. A New Mexico judge is scheduled to consider at a Friday, June 21, 2024, hearing, whether to compel a movie set armorer to testify at actor Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during rehearsal for the Western movie “Rust.” (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) 
FILE – This aerial photo shows the movie set of “Rust,” at Bonanza Creek Ranch, Oct. 23, 2021, in Santa Fe, N.M. e of Hope Award Gala at New York Hilton Midtown on Dec. 9, 2021, in New York. On Friday, May 24, 2024, a New Mexico judge rejected a request by Alec Baldwin to dismiss the sole criminal charge against him in a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” keeping the case on track for a trial this summer. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) 
FILE – In this image taken from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. A jury convicted movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” Baldwin has been indicted on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty ahead of a July trial date. (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File) 
In this screen grab from lapel camera video provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, movie set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, right, speaks with a sheriff’s deputy as other colleagues, at center and left, react on the set of the western move “Rust,” shortly after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal, Oct. 21, 2021, in New Mexico. The scheduled trial next week of the movie weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin may hinge on an enduring mystery: How did live ammunition find its way onto the set of a film set where it was expressly prohibited? (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office via AP) 
In this screen grab from lapel camera video provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, movie set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, right, speaks with a sheriff’s deputy as other colleagues stand with her on the set of the western move “Rust,” shortly after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal, Oct. 21, 2021, in New Mexico. A judge will consider allegations of due process violations in the prosecution of Gutierrez-Reed, who is accused of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the death of Hutchins, at an online court hearing scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Charges against Baldwin in connection with the shooting were dismissed in April. (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office via AP) 
Alec Baldwin was an actor and producer on the movie.
In a TV interview with ABC News, Baldwin said he did not fire the gun.
“I didn’t pull the trigger,” he said. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. No. That was the training that I had. You don’t point a gun at someone and pull the trigger.”
However, analysts with the FBI have said that the gun was functioning properly with working safety features and could not have been fired accidentally.
To this day, it’s unclear who brought the live bullets in the revolver to the movie set.
What are the charges against Alec Baldwin?
Prosecutors filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin earlier, then dropped the charges only to refile again after further investigation.
Prosecutors are expected to argue that Baldwin acted with disregard for the safety of others and that it was his negligent use of a firearm that led to Hutchins’ death. They are also expected to argue that he had more responsibility for safety because he was not just an actor in the movie but a producer.
The defense, on the other hand, is expected to argue that it isn’t the job of an actor to make sure live rounds are not in his gun, a position strongly supported by the actor’s union. Baldwin’s attorneys will most likely also attack the gun evidence and say that damage to the revolver done during an FBI test was due to the destruction of evidence.
What happens next in the Alec Baldwin case?
Jury selection is expected to begin in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Tuesday. Dozens of witnesses’ testimony have already been approved, and opening statements are currently slated to begin Wednesday.
It’s not clear if Baldwin will testify in his own defense during the trial, which is expected to last until next Friday.
As this is going on, Baldwin’s family recently advertised that they will be starring in a new reality show on TLC, which some have called a PR stunt to do damage control from the trial.
What happened to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed?
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was recently sentenced for her role in Hutchins’ death. Gutierrez-Reed was the person on set responsible for maintaining weapons and ensuring safety procedures were followed.
In her trial, prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of being sloppy and failing to properly check guns on the set. They claimed she was negligent for failing to notice live ammunition had been mixed with a box of dummy rounds.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers argued that producers had failed to keep the set safe and did not hold enough safety meetings. They also said Baldwin had failed to pay attention to firearms safety briefings.
Gutierrez-Reed has appealed and has accused the prosecutors of withholding evidence. She is currently serving an 18-month sentence, the same Baldwin could face if convicted.
