Trigger Warning: The following article contains mention of death and possible murder

Alec Baldwin has been making headlines ever since the shocking shooting incident that occurred on the set of his western film Rust in October 2021, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and died. Baldwin is now set to go on trial next week. 

The Beetlejuice actor will soon appear in a New Mexico courtroom for the first time since the shooting incident happened, as he has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. In addition, he could face a potential sentence of up to 18 months in prison if found guilty by a unanimous jury. Read on further to know more details! 

Alec Baldwin's Rust shooting trial starts next week

Alec Baldwin will go on trial for involuntary manslaughter next week, which starts on Tuesday, July 9, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, three years after a fatal shooting incident that happened on the set of his film Rust.

The actor was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 and pleaded not guilty in February 2023, and charges against him were reportedly dropped two months later. Despite the dismissal in 2023, Baldwin was indicted again for involuntary manslaughter the following year. His attorneys sought to dismiss the case, but the judge sided with prosecutors to proceed with the trial.  

According to a recent report by The Guardian, the actor argued that he pulled back the hammer of the gun, "not the trigger, and that the gun malfunctioned and fired accidentally." The outlet further noted that his lawyers recently sought to dismiss the case, arguing that FBI testing of the firearm had damaged the weapon before they could examine it for potential "modifications."

The report mentioned that Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer denied the dismissal request, stating that the actor's lawyers had not reportedly proved that prosecutors acted unfairly. 
 

What charges does Alec Baldwin facing currently?

Alec Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter, and if found guilty, he could reportedly face up to 18 months in prison. Baldwin was holding a prop gun that reportedly had real bullets during the filming of the western movie Rust in New Mexico in 2021, and the shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. However, ever since the shocking incident happened, the actor has repeatedly claimed he did not pull the trigger of the prop gun, which killed Hutchins, who died at age 42.