Alec Baldwin watched footage of late “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins right before her death during the first full day of arguments for his involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico on Wednesday.
Police body camera footage from the day of the fatal 2021 shooting showed paramedics attending to Hutchins after she was shot by a prop gun that Baldwin was handling while rehearsing a scene for the Western.
The video showed first responders telling Hutchins, “Deep breath, Halyna. Deep breath,” as they tried to stabilize the filmmaker, who died that same day.
In the background, director Joel Souza can be heard screaming in pain as he lifted himself off the ground of the church where the incident happened.
Souza sustained serious injuries after being hit by the same bullet that killed Hutchins.
Baldwin had a stoic expression while he watched the footage in court. At one moment, he removed his glasses to rub his nose.
Reporters in the courtroom noted that the actor’s wife, Hilaria Baldwin, looked away as the evidence was played, while the defendant’s brother Stephen Baldwin was seen watching the body camera footage.
Earlier in the day, during opening statements, the prosecution accused Baldwin of having “violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety” while playing “make-believe” on the set of “Rust.”
Afterwards, the defense contended that the “30 Rock” star was merely “an actor acting” and that he was not responsible for ensuring safety on set.
“This was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime,” attorney Alex Spiro told jurors.
For full coverage of Baldwin’s trial, see HuffPost’s live blog.
(this story has not been edited by TSA Mag staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
