In a bombshell revelation made Thursday in the manslaughter trial of Alec Baldwin, a crime scene technician revealed the actor was not the only cast member with live ammunition on the New Mexico set of “Rust.”
Jensen Ackles, who was initially cast in the western but later left the project due to a scheduling conflict, was also found to have a live bullet in his holster, said Marissa Poppell of the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department.
Poppell said investigators found multiple live rounds on set following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, including on a prop cart, in a box of ammunition and in the prop gun bandoliers used by Baldwin and Ackles.
Poppell confirmed Ackles had been in possession of the live ammo while he was acting on set, and that she had no reason to believe either he or Baldwin was aware of their presence.
During Thursday’s proceedings, images were shown of the bullets found on the set of “Rust,” highlighting the similarities between the live and dummy rounds.
Baldwin’s defense attorney, Alex Spiro, emphasized they looked “an awful lot alike” to the untrained eye — distinguished only by the color at the center of their base — and that it would have been difficult for an actor to discern the difference.
Thursday’s remarks came a day after opening statements, in which prosecutor Erlinda Johnson accused Baldwin of violating the rules of firearm safety and acting recklessly on the day 42-year-old Hutchins was killed.
In response, Spiro said safety assurance was in the hands of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
On Thursday, Cpl. Alexandria Hancock, the primary detective in the case, testified she had no question Gutierrez-Reed introduced the live ammo to the set of “Rust.”
Baldwin, the star and co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal at Santa Fe’s Bonanza Creek Ranch on Oct. 21, 2021. The gun unexpectedly went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
The Hollywood powerhouse has pleaded not guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, he could face up to 18 months behind bars.
