--- title: Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial | TIME description: The case against actor Alec Baldwin, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter following a fatal on-set shooting for the film Rust in 2021, is set for trial in July despite a series of back-and-forth between prosecutors and the defense. canonical: https://time.com/video/hGfzon3e/ og:title: Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial og:description: The case against actor Alec Baldwin, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter following a fatal on-set shooting for the film Rust in 2021, is set for trial in July despite a series of back-and-forth between prosecutors and the defense. og:url: https://time.com/video/hGfzon3e/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/hGfzon3e/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial twitter:description: The case against actor Alec Baldwin, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter following a fatal on-set shooting for the film Rust in 2021, is set for trial in July despite a series of back-and-forth between prosecutors and the defense. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/hGfzon3e/poster.jpg?width=720 --- * U.S. # Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial [Watch (HLS stream): Opening Statements Begin in the Case Against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hGfzon3e.m3u8) (10:20)  _Published 2024-07-10. The case against actor Alec Baldwin, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter following a fatal on-set shooting for the film Rust in 2021, is set for trial in July despite a series of back-and-forth between prosecutors and the defense._ --- Jul 10, 2024 9:20 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Trial of Rust Armorer to Begin in Fatal Film Rehearsal Shooting by Alec Baldwin](/video/sZfRjQfc/) ### Trial of Rust Armorer to Begin in Fatal Film Rehearsal Shooting by Alec Baldwin [Videos Show Alec Baldwin's Reactions and the Aftermath of the Shooting on the Set of Rust](/video/6VTvdgFm/) ### Videos Show Alec Baldwin's Reactions and the Aftermath of the Shooting on the Set of Rust [10 Questions for Alec Baldwin](/video/21XIdwlU/) ### 10 Questions for Alec Baldwin --- ## Transcript When someone plays make belief with a real gun in a real life workplace, and while playing make belief with that gun violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety. People's lives are endangered, and someone could be killed. Ladies and gentlemen, that's what this case is about. It's simple, straightforward. The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the Cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin. And while it was a movie set, it was a real life workplace. For many people. But you will hear this workplace was on a tight budget. And you will learn that some of the people who were hired to work at this workplace were very inexperienced. And one of those was the armor, a very young woman named Hannah Gutierrez Reed. You will hear testimony from crew members who worked on the set, who will tell you that to them, miss Gutierrez inexperience was obvious. You will also learn that this workplace has some talented people. One of those was the director of photography, a vibrant 42-year-old rising star named Helena Hutchins. Like in many workplaces, there are people who act in a reckless manner. And place other individuals in danger and act without due regard for the safety of others. That, you will hear? Was the Defendant, Alexander Baldwin, the lead actor on this film. But you'll see evidence, ladies and gentlemen, that each time the Defendant handled this firearm, he did not do a safety check with that inexperienced armor. And you'll hear that the reason he didn't do a safety check is because he didn't want to offend her. You will see him **** the hammer when he's not supposed to couck the hammer. You will see him put his finger on the trigger when his finger is not supposed to be on the trigger. You will learn that one of the rounds in that revolver was a real round. And the evidence will show that miss Guiterrez then handed the gun to the Defendant. And what you will learn is that once again, the Defendant failed to do a gun check or a safety check with this armor. You will hear testimony that his finger was on or around the trigger. And the evidence will show that that third and fatal time, he takes it out once again, fast, Hammers ****, he ***** the hammer, points it straight at miss Hutchins and fires that gun. Sending that live bullet right into miss Hutchins body. Miss Hutchins succumbed to her injuries and bled to death. The fatal and one of the main problems that afternoon of October 21 was that the Defendant didn't do a gun safety check with that inexperienced armor. He pointed the gun at another human being, caught the hammer and pulled that trigger. And reckless disregard for miss Hutchins safety. And you will be convinced that the only true and just verdict in this case so that true justice can be served. Is a verdict of guilty to involuntary manslaughter? This was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. He was an actor acting, playing the role of Harlan Rust. An actor playing a character can act in ways that are lethal that just aren't lethal on a movie set. And the reason that can happen is because safety is insured before the actor. On this movie set, there were people responsible for ensuring the safety of the set in the firearm. Those people failed in their duties, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. The most critical issue in this case is how a real bullet got on a movie set. The evidence will show that real bullets are never supposed to be on movie sets. On this set, there was a real bullet, something that should never be on a movie set, something which has nothing to do with making a movie. And you will hear no evidence, not one word that Alec Baldwin had anything to do with that real bullet being brought onto that set. The second critical issue in this case is why did a real bullet get loaded into a prop movie gun? It is undisputed that the bullet was loaded into the gun by the armorer, the person onset, whose responsibility it was to ensure the gun was safe. You will hear no evidence whatsoever. No evidence that anything Mr. Baldwin did, that something he did in that moment, that horrible moment when she put that bullet in that gun, none of it had anything to do with Alex Baldwin. And finally, the first assistant director's job, the head of safety, Dave Halls, checks it before it goes to the actor. And he will tell you he made a tragic mistake. He failed to detect a live bullet, and Alex Baldwin had nothing to do with that either. The evidence will show that on a movie set, safety has to occur before the gun is placed in the actor's hands. In this case, this unique case on a movie set, the prop gun was placed in Mr. Baldwin's hands and cold gun was announced, meaning it had been checked and double checked by those responsible to ensure the gun was safe. It was just a prop. They all thought it was just a prop and could do no harm. He must be able to take that weapon and use it as the person he's acting would to wave it, to point it, to pull the trigger like actors do in ways that would be lethal in the real world, but are not lethal on a movie set. Everyone was doing exactly how they go about their business every day on a movie. Not as if some lethal element had been included in the environment. You will see creativity and movement and everyone talking and vibrant. No one had any idea that this venomous toxic element had been inserted into this magic they were created. But it did. It entered that place. It killed an amazing person. They wounded another and it changed lives forever. Cold guns can't hurt people. It's impossible, literally impossible for a cold gun to hurt somebody. You could hurt you more by dropping it on your foot. That's why these artists are carrying on in their art. Cold gun gun. All clear to go. And the armorer on this set hands a prop gun to Alec, like she had done times before, like people have done with him in movies for a generation, and he's there. He's in the movie set church with his movie set gear and his holster, and he takes his movie set gun. And he's deeply focused in that moment on his character. The gun goes off. Everybody shocked. Alec is startled. He he immediately says, I did I didn't mean to shoot the I didn't pull the trigger immediately. What the hell just happened? They collectively explained. Shock turns to panic. 911 is called. So police enter the scene. They have L apel cameras. Thank God, they have Lapel cameras. You want to see what happens. The evidence will show you can play the videotape. Want to see if they take the right gun, play the videotape. Want to make sure what the people said or did. They're remembering correctly. Play the videotape. The gun was double checked, verified it was a cold gun, not an actor's responsibility to check. Safety was ensured before. Alec was doing his practicing his re his movements. People manipulate and point guns on movie sets. The gun went off during the rehearsal. No one saw him intentionally pull the trigger. It was obviously a tragic accident, but Alec committed no homicide. He was just acting as he has done for generations, and it was the safety apparatus that failed them all. Even if he intentionally pulled the trigger like the prosecutor just demonstrated, that doesn't make him guilty of homicide? He did not know or have any reason to know that gun was loaded with a live bullet. That's the key. That live bullet is the key, that is the lethal element. This is a homicide trial. And you will see soon that the reason they play those videos of him over and over is because they don't have any evidence of actual homicide. And you will learn the truth. Not a day goes by when we don't wish Alec had saved her life. But never the witnesses will tell you, in the history is something that an actor has done, intercepted a live bullet from a prop gun. No actor in history. No one could have imagined or expected an actor to do that. So just remember that truth. So when they cry out, justice, Justice is truth. This was an unspeakable tragedy. Alec Baldwin committed no crime. 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