The prop vintage gun used in Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” shooting that left one filmmaker dead and another wounded had recently been fixed with a new trigger, which made misfire possible, according to a report.
The dummy Colt 45 revolver used on the New Mexico set of the Western flick had recently gotten a new trigger added, which sources said could have impacted the weapon’s ability to misfire, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
Baldwin’s lawyers confirmed Thursday that the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s office had dropped criminal charges against the actor.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” his lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement to The Post.
A spokesperson for the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Baldwin, 65, was charged with involuntary manslaughter over the Oct. 21, 2021, on-set shooting of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop pistol he was using for a scene unexpectedly fired a real bullet.
He had long said he did not pull the weapon’s trigger and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Rust” director Joel Souza was standing behind Hutchins, viewing a camera angle as Baldwin rehearsed a scene that he was to draw his revolver and point it at the camera when the tragic incident occurred.
He suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder, but survived.
Hutchins was treated at the scene before she was rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital, but could not be saved.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, was also accused of involuntary manslaughter alongside Baldwin.
She is still facing charges in connection with the shooting.
A third person involved in the on-set catastrophe, assistant director David Halls, previously pleaded no contest to a single count of petty misdemeanor negligent use of a deadly weapon.
He had handed the gun to Baldwin before it was fired but neglected to make sure it didn’t hold live bullets.
Despite Baldwin claiming he had never pulled the trigger, FBI investigators previously determined there was no other way the shot would have fired.
The gun, the agency reported ruled, “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger.”
Investigators who scoured the “Rust” set described finding a combination of live rounds and dummy bullets around the set, a blatant safety violation.
Earlier on the day of the shooting, the ammunition “was left on a cart on the set, not secured,” while the crew took a lunch break, previous police documents said.
Filming for the movie is due to resume in Montana this week.
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