On Friday, July 12, a US judge dismissed the case against Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin for the accidental shooting of a cinematographer on set three years ago.
Baldwin was accused of involuntary manslaughter in 2021 when a live round was fired from a prop gun during a rehearsal for the movie “Rust” in New Mexico, resulting in one death and one injury.
The case took a turn on the third day of trial proceedings when the judge ruled that the police and prosecutors had withheld evidence of ammunition improperly, leading to the dismissal of the case. The prosecution was barred from filing the lawsuit again.
Upon hearing the judge’s decision, Baldwin was seen shedding tears in the courtroom.
A key aspect of the case was how live ammunition ended up in the prop gun on set, particularly since there are professionals dedicated to managing firearms on a movie set.
New evidence was revealed on Thursday, with a crime scene technician testifying that a retired police officer named Troy Teske handed over live rounds possibly related to the case. Teske was a friend of the stepfather of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who had been earlier convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024.
Armorers are responsible for overseeing all firearms, weapons, and bladed instruments used during film production. Their duties include selecting firearms and ammunition, ensuring safety for everyone, maintaining and handling firearms, serving as firearm consultants, and guaranteeing the legality and safety of all weapons.
In the US, all film sets, regardless of size (including student sets), are required to have an armorer present for supervision. Armorers typically hold armorer licenses.
Gutierrez-Reed worked alongside prop master Seth Kenney, who assisted in preparing props and ammunition on the film set.
Baldwin’s lawyer later questioned the errors made by the government agencies responsible for investigating and handling the scene, suggesting that the prosecution had not shared the latest evidence with the defense.
The jury listened to a series of testimonies on Friday regarding the bullets, including from the law enforcement authorities handling the case and Kenney himself.
One of the prosecutors in charge of the case, Kari Morrissey, took the stand to explain the bullets and why they were not shared with the defense, citing the rare nature of the situation they encountered.
She testified that the ammunition had “no evidentiary value” and denied any allegations of concealment.
The defense lawyers argued that the bullets could be relevant to the case but had been classified under different cases and numbers by the government agencies.
Consequently, the judge ruled that regardless of the circumstances, the evidence of the ammunition should have been shared with the defendant’s legal team.
“The concealment of this information by the state government was intentional,” the judge remarked. “The court cannot correct this mistake.”
The case was dismissed on grounds of bias, and the prosecution will not be able to bring further charges against Baldwin.
Following the judge’s ruling, Baldwin was visibly emotional in court, embracing his lawyers and wife. He left without making any comments.
Baldwin is known for his roles in the NBC sitcom “30 Rock” and the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”