Alec Baldwin's trial for fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins will have increased security around the courthouse in New Mexico
With Alec Baldwin's trial over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western Rust set to start on Tuesday, security will be beefed up.
The 66-year-old actor - who was in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday for a pre-trial hearing - is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins.
When the trial starts on Tuesday, there will be more security there than usual, as a precaution for the high-profile trial, via TMZ.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila said there will be 'additional deputies' working around the courthouse and surrounding areas.
While no specific numbers were given as to how much security may be beefed up, Baldwin's presence throughout the 10-day trial will necessitate the added security.
With Alec Baldwin 's trial over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western Rust set to start on Tuesday, security will be beefed up
The 66-year-old actor - who was in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Monday for a pre-trial hearing - is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins.
Baldwin has had more than his fair share of contentious encounters with photographers and fans so added security will be essential.
She added that both media personnel and others trying to get into the courthouse are not being allowed to camp outside.
She said there is a daily protocol to be followed before anyone is admitted inside each morning of the trial.
Baldwin also earned an early victory in the pretrial hearing on Monday.
The judge ruled that prosecutors cannot enter into evidence Baldwin's role as a producer on the film.
That key element was supposedly crucial to the prosecution's argument that his irresponsible behavior as a producer ultimately lead to Hutchins' death.
Producers argued that Baldwin was lax on safety procedures in his role as executive producer, though now this argument is moot.
'I'm having real difficulty with the state's position that they want to show that as a producer, he didn't follow guidelines, and therefore, as an actor, Mr. Baldwin did all these things wrong resulting in the death of Halyna Hutchins because as a producer, he allowed this all to happen,' the judge said at the hearing.
Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw maneuver with a revolver when the gun went off, striking both Rust director Joel Souza and cinematographer Hutchins.
The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest, traveled through her body and struck Souza in the shoulder.
Hutchins was airlifted to a nearby hospital but she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter in late October 2021.
Baldwin has maintained that he never pulled the trigger of the gun, though an FBI report claimed that the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled.
Baldwin claimed he pulled back the hammer of the gun - not the trigger - when the projectile was fired.
Baldwin has had more than his fair share of contentious encounters with photographers and fans so added security will be essential.
She added that both media personnel and others trying to get into the courthouse are not being allowed to camp outside
She said there is a daily protocol to be followed before anyone is admitted inside each morning of the trial
Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw maneuver with a revolver when the gun went off, striking both Rust director Joel Souza and cinematographer Hutchins
The actor has also maintained that he didn't know there was live ammunition in the gun when the incident occurred.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to serve 18 months in prison though she is appealing the conviction.
Production of the film was suspended after the shooting, only to resume in April 2023, concluding a month later, though no release date has been given for Rust.
