"RUST" PRODUCTION: ALEC BALDWIN'S GUN HAD MODIFIED TRIGGER, ADDS TO PROSECUTOR'S EMBARRASSMENT.

Alec Baldwin, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter by Santa Fe New Mexico authorities, may have been right all along in insisting that he did not pull the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The L.A. Times reported that the prop gun Baldwin used in 2021 had been modified, with the trigger mechanism having been changed, increasing the likelihood of a misfire without Baldwin pulling the trigger.

Despite Baldwin's insistence that he never pulled the trigger, prosecutors and even the FBI disputed his claim. The D.A. emphasized that pulling the trigger was a crucial element of their case, which has now fallen apart.

It is unclear when the authorities learned of the gun modification, and why Baldwin was charged before the weapon was properly examined to determine what had happened. The involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin is being dropped less than two weeks before the trial was set to begin. The case drew widespread criticism, in part because the D.A. expected an actor to verify the work of an expert armorer.

The only person charged with involuntary manslaughter in this case is Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set. After learning that his charges were being dropped, Baldwin thanked his wife Hilaria and his lawyer Luke Nikas in a social media post