Christal Hayes
US news reporter

Alec Baldwin's defence team paints a portrait of that fatal day on the Rust set - saying he was just an actor and there were multiple people on set whose job it was to ensure safety.

"He was just acting as he's done for generations, and it was the safety apparatus that failed them all," Baldwin's attorney Alex Spiro says.

He notes the gun was double-checked and people on movie sets point them at one another for theatrical effect

"Alec took the gun from those charged with its safety. He did not tamper with it. He did not load it himself. He did not leave it unattended," Spiro says. "It was an actor handling a prop... and the gun just went off".

Image source, EPA

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

Baldwin's lawyer Alex Spiro stands up for the defence's opening statement. He comes out energetic and clear.

Baldwin's arms are crossed watching his attorney speak. He nods his head and then scribbles down a quick note.

The defence is playing the clip of Baldwin rehearsing the church scene with the revolver.

Hilaria is watching intently. It looks like she’s hardly even blinking because she's so focused.

Nadine Yousif
Live reporter

Prosecutors have just wrapped up their opening remarks, and it's now time for Alec Baldwin's lawyers to make their case.

They start by saying what happened was an "unspeakable tragedy".

"But Alec Baldwin committed no crime," Baldwin's lawyer, Alex Spiro, says firmly. "He was an actor acting."

The lawyer says the cardinal rules on firearm safety spoken about before by prosecutors don't apply on a movie set. "You've all seen gun fights in movies," the lawyer tells the jury.

He then says there were people whose job it was to ensure the safety of the movie set and the firearm, and that those people failed in their duties.

"Real bullets are never supposed to be on movie sets," Spiro says.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

There’s a large TV screen at the defence table so that Baldwin and his team can see the photos the prosecution is showing. Pictures of Halyna, pictures of himself, pictures of the gun and the scene of the shooting.

Baldwin has his head resting on one arm and he’s furiously taking notes. I have not seen him look up at the screen or prosecutor Erlinda Johnson.

The two lead attorneys for Baldwin are also taking copious notes, and one of them shaking his head occasionally at statements by Johnson.

In 2022, an FBI examiner took a mallet to the weapon as part of an accidental discharge test for their forensic analysis. The test broke internal components of the gun, prohibiting it from staying in the fully cocked position.

Josh Bash, an attorney for the actor, has argued that this testing deprived the defence of a full opportunity to examine the gun in its original condition. Baldwin's team cited this in one of their attempts to have the charge against him dismissed. It failed to pass muster with judge, who said a jury should make this judgement.

“This is among the most egregious constellation of facts I’ve ever seen,” Mr Bash said at a virtual hearing.

“They knew it would be destroyed, and they did nothing to preserve the evidence for the defendant."

"It's outrageous and it requires dismissal," he added.

But prosecutors said that Baldwin's team still has plenty of evidence for a defence, even without the weapon still intact, as all parts of the gun are still available.

"A review of the evidence in this case leads one to conclude that the exculpatory value of this firearm... is extremely low," prosecutor Erlinda Johnson said in the hearing.

Christal Hayes
US news reporter

A key part of the case is Alec Baldwin's claim that he never pulled the trigger when the revolver he was holding went off.

Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson goes into detail during her opening statement about this claim and the various tests done by the FBI to test this claim.

She says an FBI analyst fired the gun a dozen times, tried to cock the hammer of the gun in several positions, analysed the weapon for any defects or modifications and did an accidental discharge test.

Everything showed the gun "worked perfectly fine as it was designed," she says. She notes it fired perfectly fine as it did on set throughout filming.

Ms Johnson adds however, the gun was damaged during the accidental discharge test - the last examination done of the weapon.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

The prosecution started their opening statements with a picture of the late Halyna Hutchins on a screen in the courtroom.

Wearing a purple hat and big bright smile, she’s standing in front of the church where she was later shot.

Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson is opening the case and said this tragedy should not have happened.

“While it was a movie set, it was a real, live workplace for many people. But you will hear that this workplace was on a tight budget...and some of the people who were hired to work on this workplace were inexperienced."

The screen then switched to a rough looking photo of Baldwin. He’s in full costume with a beard, looking like a true rough, Western cowboy.

Johnson says prior to arriving on set, Baldwin requested to be assigned the "biggest gun available." Johnson shows the revolver that Baldwin used on set. She says the evidence will show the gun was in perfect working order when on the set of Rust.

Image source, Reuters

Nadine Yousif
Live reporter

Prosecutors began their opening statements by painting a portrait of the Rust film set being on a "tight budget" with an "inexperienced" cast, including the film's armourer.

Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson says Alec Baldwin "played make believe with a real gun" and "violated the cardinal rules of firearms safety".

She tells the jury that the case "is simple, straightforward."

She says the jury will hear testimony from people who worked on the film who will describe what the conditions on set were like.

She then describes the victim, Halyna Hutchins, as a "vibrant, 42-year-old rising star".

Emma Vardy
Reporting from court

Alec Baldwin has argued that it was the responsibility of other crew members to make sure the gun was safe. So why is he in the dock?

The armourer on set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was the person responsible for all the weapons. She was convicted earlier this year of the same charge he is facing – involuntary manslaughter.

Gutierrez had mistakenly mixed up dummy bullets being used on set, with live bullets that belong to her personally. A number of these live bullets had been found dotted around the set, and one ended up being loaded into the gun being used by Baldwin.

But prosecutors say that he broke a golden safety rule when handling a weapon – that you should never point a gun at anyone, whether on a movie set or in real life.

Baldwin has maintained he never pulled the trigger of the weapon when it fired.

Prosecutors believe he is culpable in the tragic accident. But they will have to convince the jury that he acted negligently.

Baldwin's defence will argue that it was not the job of an actor to check the weapon was safe, and even if he had looked at the loaded pistol, he could not have known that the bullets inside were not dummy rounds because those bullets are made to look like the real thing.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommers has entered the court room.

The attorneys for both sides are having a sidebar with the judge before the jury is brought in.

We were delayed this morning because the WiFi in the court was not working again.

Technical issues were the hallmark of Hannah Gutierrez Reed’s trial and jury selection for Baldwin's yesterday.

Gloria Allred is in the front row of court today wearing a bright pink blazer.

She’s representing Halyna’s family and several members of the crew of Rust in civil suits against Baldwin.

Outside the court house she told the media, "We would like truth. We would like justice."

The trial has begun and I'll be bringing you updates here.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

The prosecution will have a long list of things Baldwin should not have done to prevent this tragedy from happening.

They’ll say he acted negligently. He should have never pointed a gun at Halyna Hutchins, he should not have pulled the trigger - something Baldwin denies - and that he should not have rushed people on set.

They’ll argue anyone with access to a firearm, whether you're on a movie set or in the real world, has an obligation to:

1. Never point a gun at anyone
2. Make double sure the gun isn't loaded with ammunition.

They will argue that the fact he's on a movie set doesn't alleviate him from basic gun handling skills and duties.

However, to find someone guilty of criminal negligence, the prosecution will have to prove Baldwin owns the negligence almost entirely.

Since two others have been offered up – first assistant director David Halls plead guilty and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty by a jury – it will be difficult to show Baldwin carries a lot of the blame for what happened.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

The defence’s main goal during the trial will be to educate the jury about movie sets.

When it comes to film production, everyone has their own duties and obligations. Actors act, directors direct, photography works the cameras and so on. Those are people’s sole jobs in the production process. When those lines get blurred, and people are forced to do each other’s duties, that’s when chaos erupts.

Baldwin’s defence team will argue there is an armorer on set who is an expert in set safety and handling firearms. Baldwin, however, is not a trained weapons expert, and they could argue that imposing the duty of expertise on him is not fair.

They’ll say that even if he had checked the barrel of the weapon, there is no evidence that he would have known the difference between the dummy bullet and a real bullet because it’s not his job to know that.

The defence will also rely heavily on the fact that the film’s armourer was convicted, and they will argue that the culprit has already been convicted by the law, so Baldwin shouldn’t be held criminally liable.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin just walked through the public door into the courtroom.

Hilaria is staring straight ahead and is seated in the front row next to Baldwin’s team of attorneys.

Alec whispered a few things to the assistant attorneys on the case. He’s sat on the defence side next to the two lead attorneys. He’s got a white binder in front of him that he’s staring at.

The courtroom is packed with journalists typing away on their laptops.

Image source, Getty Images

Rust’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is the victim at the centre of this case.

She was killed when a gun Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with went off on set.

Hutchins was born in Ukraine in 1979 and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. She told American Cinematographer magazine in 2019 that her love for film grew as “there wasn’t much to do outside”.

She spent her upbringing "surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines", her website says. She entered the film industry after gaining a degree in international journalism from Kyiv State University.

After working on documentaries in the UK, she moved to Los Angeles, where she graduated from the American Film Institute conservatory in 2015 and began to work on movies.

Hutchins was married to fellow filmmaker Matthew Hutchins, who became the executive producer on Rust after her death.

Lawyers representing Matthew Hutchins and their son Andros sued Baldwin and other producers for wrongful death in 2022, with an undisclosed settlement agreed later that year.

Image source, Reuters

Actor Alec Baldwin was drawing a revolver across his body and pointing it at a camera during a rehearsal on the Rust film set when it fired.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured.

Baldwin was handed the gun and told it was unloaded, court documents state.

Souza was standing behind Hutchins when they were both hit, according to an affidavit.

"Joel stated that they had Alec sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw," it said. "Joel said he was looking over the shoulder of[Hutchins], when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop.”

Court documents add that Hutchins, 42, was shot in the chest area.

"Joel then vaguely remembers[Hutchins] complaining about her stomach and grabbing her mid-section. Joel also said[Hutchins] began to stumble backwards and she was assisted to the ground.”

You can read more here.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from court

Baldwin is not on the witness list for his criminal trial.

Most legal experts agree there are very few reasons to have a defendant testify at any trial because it allows prosecutors the chance to cross-examine them.

Mr Baldwin's defence team can wait until towards the end of the trial to make a decision based on how the proceedings have gone.

Christal Hayes
US reporter

The actor has arrived at the Santa Fe courthouse in New Mexico for opening statements in his involuntary manslaughter trial.

It's technically the second day of his trial as the court spent Tuesday picking the jury panel that will determine whether he is criminally liable in the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The shooting happened on the set of his Western film Rust.

Today is when we'll truly start hearing arguments in the case and we can expect a preview of both his defence and the case against him.

Finding an unbiased jury is always a difficult task. Finding one for such a high-profile case with a celebrity seemed nearly impossible.

The 12-member panel was selected Tuesday from a pool of 70 potential jurors. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommers started the proceedings on Tuesday by addressing the elephant in the room: Had anyone not heard about the shooting or Baldwin’s case?

Few raised their hands, with one man saying he does not have Wi-Fi or cable. Others said they had heard about the case but were willing to go into the proceedings with an open mind.

Prospective jurors were asked uniform questions about their feelings on gun ownership, concealed-carry permits and any associations they have to the film industry.

The defence asked the group if they had any negative feelings toward Baldwin from roles he played or people he’s made fun of – which include his portrayal of former President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

After several sidebars and delays, 12 jurors were named and so were four alternates.

The judge gave them very strict instructions for their behaviour inside and outside the courthouse. She told them to not engage with the media and that they are not allowed share snacks in the jury room.

Image source, Reuters

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as opening statements are expected to begin in Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter on the set of the movie Rust.

The actor fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming in 2021.

The trial, taking place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will determine whether he should be held criminally liable. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty.

It's set to start at 10:30 ET(15:30 GMT), and our reporters Emma Vardy and Samantha Granville will be in the courtroom bringing you the latest updates.

You will be able to watch a live stream from the court by pressing the "watch live" button at the top of this page.