Alec Baldwin may be charged again in “Rust” shooting as new report shows trigger on gun was pulled

A forensic report released Tuesday about the fatal shooting on the "Rust" film set found that Alec Baldwin's Colt .45 revolver would only fire if the trigger was pulled. Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January for the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. But the charges were dismissed without prejudice in April "because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly affects causation with regard to Baldwin," prosecutors said in a June 9 court filing, adding that Baldwin will face charges if an investigation into the gun revealed that it was working properly.

"Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver," the recent report stated, per CNN. "If the hammer had not been fully retracted to the rear and were to slip from the handler's thumb without the trigger depressed, the half cock or quarter cock notches in the hammer should have prevented the firing pin from reaching any cartridge in the firing chamber."

At this time, Baldwin has not been charged again, and it remains unclear if he will be. One of the special prosecutors on the case, Kari Morrissey, told Variety that there will be a formal announcement of the decision.