“Rust” set actor and producer Alec Baldwin insisted that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that killed cinematographer 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins and wounded 48-year-old director Joel Souza, during filming last October 2021 on the set of “Rust.” In an interview, Baldwin stated that he could “never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them.”
The fatal shooting took place inside a small church. According to Baldwin, he thought that he was holding a “cold gun” without live ammunition.
Despite his claims, the FBI reported that the gun could only fire if someone pulled the trigger and that the components were functional at the time of investigation. This conclusion was made after tests were performed using the same model – a single-action .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta.
The case will be forwarded to prosecutors to check for possible charges.
Upon examination of FBI reports and an autopsy, New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator stated that it was an accident. Santa Fe investigators received a warrant to search Baldwin’s phone and records last December but months after the incident, they still have not received it. The phone is currently with the Suffolk County Police Department where it was initially surrendered.
The film production company was fined $136,793 and Baldwin and the film’s producers were sued by Hutchins’ family.
“This is the third time the New Mexico authorities have found that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly unsafe conditions on the set, that he was told by the person in charge of safety on the set that the gun was ‘cold,’ and believed the gun was safe,” attorney Luke Nikas said in a statement.
