A defense attorney told jurors Wednesday that the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was an 鈥渦nspeakable tragedy鈥� but that 鈥� committed no crime; he was an actor, acting.鈥�

Baldwin鈥檚 lawyer Alex Spiro emphasized in his opening statement in a Santa Fe, New Mexico, courtroom that Baldwin, who is on trial for involuntary manslaughter, did exactly what actors always do on the set of the film 鈥淩ust,鈥� where Hutchins was killed in October, 2021.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to tell you any more about this, because you鈥檝e all seen gunfights in movies,鈥� Spiro said.

Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson said in her opening statement that before the shooting, Baldwin skipped safety checks and recklessly handled a revolver.

鈥淭he evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin,鈥� Ocampo Johnson said.

Spiro replied that 鈥渢hese cardinal rules, they鈥檙e not cardinal rules on a movie set.鈥�

鈥淥n a movie set, safety has to occur before a gun is placed in an actor鈥檚 hand,鈥� Spiro told the jury.

The first witness to take the stand was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at Bonanza Creek Ranch after the shooting. Video shown in the courtroom from the body camera of Nicholas LeFleur, then a Santa Fe county sheriff鈥檚 deputy, captured the frantic efforts to save Hutchins, who looked unconscious as several people attended to her and gave her an oxygen mask. In the courtroom, Baldwin looked at the screen somberly as it played.

Later in the video, LeFleur can be seen telling Baldwin not to speak to the other potential witnesses, but Baldwin repeatedly does.

When special prosecutor Kari Morrissey asked whether the sheriff鈥檚 deputy handled the situation ideally he responded, 鈥淧robably not. But it鈥檚 what happened.鈥�

Spiro pressed LeFleur on why he left the word 鈥渁ccidental鈥� out of his description of the shooting call during his questioning by the prosecution. LeFleur said it was not intentional.

And LeFleur acknowledged that in a pretrial interview he said the circumstances of the scene suggested that Baldwin鈥檚 actions were unintentional.

Ocampo Johnson in her opening walked the jurors through the events leading up to Hutchins death. She said on that day, Baldwin declined multiple opportunities for standard safety checks with armorer before the rehearsal in the small church about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the courthouse where Hutchins, 鈥渁 vibrant 42-year-old rising star,鈥� was killed. She said Baldwin instead 鈥渄id his own thing.鈥�

鈥淗e cocks the hammer, points it straight at Miss Hutchins, and fires that gun, sending that live bullet right into Miss Hutchins body,鈥� said Ocampo Johnson, a relative newcomer to the case, appointed in late April by the Santa Fe district attorney鈥檚 office.

During the presentation, Baldwin trained his eyes downward on a notepad, away from the jury. He watched Spiro intently during his opening. His wife Hilaria Baldwin, younger brother Stephen Baldwin and older sister Elizabeth Keuchler 鈥� who wiped away tears at times 鈥� were among the family and friends sitting behind him.

The 鈥� 11 women and five men 鈥� come from a region with strong currents of gun ownership and safety informed by backcountry hunting. Four of the jurors will be deemed alternates while the other 12 deliberate once they get the case.

and the wounding of director Joel Souza nearly three years ago sent shock waves through the film industry and led to one felony charge against Baldwin, 66, that could result in up to 18 months in prison.

鈥淚t killed an amazing person,鈥� Spiro said. 鈥淚t wounded another, and it changed lives forever.鈥�

Baldwin has claimed the gun fired accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins, who was behind the camera. Unaware that it was loaded with a live round, he said he pulled back the hammer 鈥� not the trigger 鈥� and it fired.

鈥淣o one saw him intentionally pull the trigger,鈥� Spiro said.

But he said even if Baldwin had pulled it and was lying, Spiro said, it still would not have been manslaughter.

鈥淥n a movie set, you鈥檙e allowed to pull that trigger,鈥� Spiro said, adding, 鈥渢hat doesn鈥檛 make it a homicide.鈥�

The lawyer emphasized that the responsibility for safety lay with the film鈥檚 armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, who has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and assistant director David Halls, who pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon in exchange for his testimony at trial.

Baldwin had been told 鈥渃old gun鈥� before getting the revolver, not knowing there was a live round in it.

鈥淚t had been checked and double checked by those responsible for ensuring the gun was safe,鈥� Spiro said. 鈥淗e did not tamper with it he did not load it himself. He did not leave it unattended.鈥�

Spiro has in recent years become one of the most sought-after defense attorneys in the country. His clients have included Elon Musk, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Baldwin 鈥� the star of 鈥� has been a household name as an actor and public personality for more than three decades.

Spiro said in concluding his opening that witnesses will attest that 鈥渘o actor in history鈥� has 鈥渋ntercepted a live bullet from a prop gun.鈥�

鈥淣o one could have imagined or expected an actor to do that,鈥� the lawyer said.

Testimony at trial will delve into the mechanics of the weapon and whether it could have fired without a trigger pull. Prosecutors say it couldn鈥檛 have.

鈥淭hat gun the defendant had asked to be assigned worked perfectly fine as it was designed,鈥� Ocampo Johnson said.

Attorney Gloria Allred sat in the front row of the courtroom audience, a reminder of Baldwin鈥檚 other legal difficulties. Allred is representing 鈥淩ust鈥� script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and Hutchins鈥� sister and parents in a and other producers.

Allred said that from her observations in court, the jury appeared to be riveted by testimony and evidence including the police lapel camera video.