Alec Baldwin will be tried in July for his fatal shooting in the film Rust

Alec Baldwin will be tried in July for manslaughter, after the fatal shooting which cost the life of the director of photography of his western “Rust”, an American judge decided on Monday.

The trial of the actor, both star and producer of this film, is scheduled to last a little less than two weeks between July 9 and 19 before a court in New Mexico (southwest), according to reports. court documents. He faces up to 18 months in prison.

The filming of Rust turned into drama in October 2021 on a ranch in New Mexico, in the southwest of the United States. Alec Baldwin had pointed a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets, but a very real projectile had killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. This rare news item shocked Hollywood and provoked calls to ban firearms on sets. The 65-year-old actor denies pulling the trigger and has always maintained that he was assured his weapon was harmless.

Prosecuted like him for manslaughter, the gunsmith in the film Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently being tried separately. The prosecution accuses her of negligence, which could have led her to introduce live ammunition onto the set. According to the prosecution, the gunsmith consumed cocaine, cannabis and alcohol outside of her working hours, and was probably hungover on the day of the tragedy.

His defense retorts that no toxicological analysis was carried out, and points the finger at the responsibility of Alec Baldwin, who allegedly took the safety rules on set lightly, and was part of a production with a tight budget at the time. scent of amateurism.

The actor is, however, being prosecuted as an actor, not for his role as producer, at the end of an investigation which was marked by numerous twists and turns and weaknesses.

The involuntary manslaughter charges against him were first lifted last April, after new investigative elements could support the theory of an inadvertent shooting.

But he was charged again in January. Because according to Variety magazine, a new assessment of the weapon in question, carried out this summer, concluded that it could only have been triggered by pressing the trigger. Another member of the filming has already been convicted in this case.

The film's first assistant director, Dave Halls, received a six-month suspended prison sentence last March, after agreeing to plead guilty. He had handed the gun at the heart of the drama to Mr Balwin, assuring him that it was not dangerous.