go through Krystal Hayes, Samantha Glanville and Emma Vardy, bbc news
Alec Baldwin’s trial opened in New Mexico on Wednesday, with the prosecution and defense painting very different pictures of the events that led to the death of photographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, known for his roles on the sitcom “30 Rock” and as Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted of manslaughter.
Ms Hutchins, 42, died after a gun used by Mr Baldwin during a rehearsal went off. It was discovered that the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had accidentally mixed fake bullets with live rounds she had brought from home.
Mr. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and insists he never pulled the trigger when the gun went off.
In opening arguments, the defense portrayed Baldwin as an actor simply doing his job and trusting the staff responsible for keeping the weapons safe.
Prosecutors argued he showed a blatant disregard for gun safety in a film with a limited budget and an inexperienced cast.
Prosecutor Ellinda Johnson told the jury at the start of the trial that the case was “simple” and “straight forward.”
Ms Johnson argued that Mr Baldwin “pretended to use a real gun” and “violated basic rules of gun safety”.
“Although this is a movie set, for many people this is a real, live workplace,” she said in her opening remarks. The person hired has no experience.
However, Mr Baldwin’s defense team argued that guns were treated differently on film sets and that each actor had a designated role and obligations, including regarding safety and firearms.
“He was just acting like generations of people, and it was the safety device that failed them all,” said Alex Spiro, Baldwin’s attorney.
“Alec Baldwin committed no crime,” he said firmly, later adding: “It was just an actor operating a prop.”
He believes those crew members responsible for safety – including Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls – failed to do their jobs.
“Real bullets should never appear in a movie scene,” Mr. Spiro said.
Getty ImagesHalls and Gutierrez-Reed both face charges in the fatal shooting.
Halls pleads guilty to unsafe handling of firearms Gutierrez-Reed found guilty Jailed for manslaughter earlier this year 18 months In prison.
A key issue during the trial was Mr Baldwin’s claim that he did not pull the trigger when the revolver he was holding went off.
Prosecutors targeted that claim early on, detailing extensive FBI testing of the weapon.
Ms Johnson told the jury it “worked very well as designed”.
Mr. Baldwin’s team also presented these tests, noting that in one of the tests, FBI destroys some weapons – thereby preventing it from being used for further analysis part of their defense.
The remainder of the trial will feature several witnesses as well as video and audio from the scene in Rust, including on the day Ms Hutchins was killed.
The first witness called Wednesday was Officer Nicholas LeFleur, who responded to the scene and tried to help Hutchins after she was shot.
Footage from his body camera was shown in court.
The room, which seats about 100 people, was filled with heavy sighs as they watched Ms. Hutchins’ final moments.
Mr. Baldwin was visibly uncomfortable, leaning forward and back, sometimes grimacing and covering his face.
The trial is expected to last until July 19. Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.
