Prosecutor's office for male actor who died in shooting during movie shooting "will be prosecuted after confirming malfunction"

Alec Baldwin is facing yet another prosecution for his shooting death while filming 'Rust'.

According to local media such as Variety on the 15th, US prosecutors said, "The gun was sent to an independent expert from the state government for further investigation," and "if it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Alec Baldwin will proceed."

Prosecutors, in a recent court filing, allege that Hannah Coutierrez Reed, who was a weapons prop manager on set at the time, may have suffered from a hangover while loading live ammunition into a rehearsal gun. The documents are said to have been submitted by prosecutors to refute Reed's motion to drop the prosecution's charges. Hannah Coutierrez Reed was indicted along with Alec Baldwin for manslaughter in January. Prosecutors also said that "witnesses testified that Hannah Coutierrez-Reid drank heavily and smoked marijuana during the evening while filming the film."

In October 2021, while filming the movie "Rust" on a ranch in New Mexico, an actual bullet was fired from a prop gun Alec Baldwin was holding, killing cinematographer Halina Hutchins. Director Joel Souza, who was on the scene at the time, was also seriously injured.

Prosecutors are expected to make a final decision on whether to prosecute Baldwin before Aug. 8. Previously, the prosecution also raised the possibility that the safety device of the gun was arbitrarily modified in documents submitted to the court last month.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr