A devastating FBI assessment has revealed that Alec Baldwin did, in fact, pull the trigger of the pistol that murdered cinematographer on the set of Rust, despite his repeated denials.
In October 2021, the actor, 64, accidently killed Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of his film ‘Rust,’ and wounded director Joel Souza in the incident at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger on the pistol, which was intended to be loaded with fake rounds, but a new study obtained by ABC News revealed that it could not have been discharged unless the trigger was pushed.
It means he might still face criminal charges as a result of the event, with the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department announcing that the matter would be sent to the District Attorney.
The DA has been working with Suffolk County Police in New York and Baldwin’s lawyers to get the actor’s phone records, authorities revealed Tuesday.
Detectives will evaluate the information, and a case file will be given to the DA to decide if charges will be brought.
The FBI forensic study was looking at all aspects of the deadly accident as part of a larger investigation to determine whether any criminal charges may be filed.
The revolver, a single-action.45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta, could not have been shot without someone pushing the trigger, according to the investigation.
According to ABC News, they reached the conclusion after completing an accidental discharge test with the exact same pistol or an identical clone. It indicates that, when operating correctly, the gun will not unleash a bullet and primer at the same time just by playing with the hammer.
In an interview with ABC last year, Baldwin said that’s what he was doing when the pistol went off.
He claimed to have drawn back the hammer and posed with it for the camera as Halyna instructed him on proper stance.
In conversations with investigators, Baldwin said that he was informed he was carrying a “cold gun,” which was loaded with simulated bullets.
Baldwin said that he released it and it shot without him pushing the trigger, adding, ‘I did not pull the trigger.’
However, according to the FBI investigation, the movement might produce a gunshot sound without releasing a round.
With Santa Fe detectives still investigating Hutchin’s death, the report might lead to criminal charges against the actor and others involved in the unintentional shooting.
The FBI reports were promptly given to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator OMI, who transmitted them to the Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the “Today” program earlier this year that criminal prosecution could not be ruled out.
‘It’s too early to rule anything out right now, but I don’t believe anybody is off the hook in terms of criminal charges,’ he added.
‘As I’ve already said, I believe there was complacency on the set. There was disorganization and a degree of carelessness; whether it rises to the level of a criminal offense is up to the district attorney.’
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was practicing a scene for the film Rust when he removed his revolver from his costume. It opened fire and shot Hutchins, 42, in the armpit, killing her.
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin was practicing a scene for the film Rust when he removed his revolver from his costume. It opened fire and shot Hutchins, 42, in the armpit, killing her.
Baldwin’s attorneys at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP did not immediately reply to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
When questioned, the actor informed the sheriffs that a package of simulated bullets that had gone missing unexpectedly resurfaced on the day of filming.
After the Hutchins mishap, the team returned to the box and found actual bullets mingled together with the fake rounds, he claimed.
Baldwin was insistent that the sheriff’s detectives examine the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, about the box.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the 24-year-old armorer, has consistently declared her innocence. She said that she was overworked on site.
Police also released multiple recordings of Baldwin being quizzed about the event, which occurred inside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico when Baldwin’s pretend pistol discharged a live cartridge during a scene rehearsal.
He had just completed telling police that he didn’t pull the trigger, so he was taken aback when he witnessed what seemed to be a live bullet shoot from his pistol and piercing director Joel Souza’s shoulder before hitting Hutchins in the armpit.
Baldwin allegedly begged Sante Fe cops to question the rest of the team about the event and whined about missing work and having to tell his children about how he inadvertently murdered Hutchins.
Baldwin called Detective Alexandra Hancock a week after the accident to inquire if the sheriff had interrogated the film’s armorer about the bullets and when a press conference would be held.
He was anxious, pleading with the investigator to ‘indulge’ him by inquiring about the box of bullets, which he believed may explain how a live round got into his revolver.
During the interview, he also mentioned having to inform his eight-year-old daughter Carmen about the tragedy, and how she ‘cried’ afterwards.
As a consequence of the mishap, Baldwin said that he had been ‘fired’ from the remainder of his projects for the year.
‘I have some bad news for you. ‘She didn’t make it,’ said the investigator.
He sprang back in his seat, exclaiming, ‘No!’ before requesting to be excused to call his wife, Hilaria. Baldwin walked out of the room, his head in his hands.
He was spotted seconds later in the sheriff’s office parking lot, crying as he talked to Hilaria.
The sheriff’s office also revealed hundreds of text conversations and emails sent and received by Dave Halls, the film’s associate director.
Those communications illustrate how his friends and confidantes told him that Baldwin’s ‘public relations machine’ was working overtime to blame him for the catastrophe.
‘It seems as if everyone is going for their 15 minutes of fame and AB PR staff is in overdrive trying to transfer the responsibility away from himself on a worker bee who doesn’t have the money or the authority to deny any of it,’ stated one note addressed to Halls by a friend called Julie Burris.
I believe you should carefully address this with your attorney since the most essential thing right now is to ensure that no criminal charges are filed against you – AND what the sheriff’s office affadavit [sic] truly states.
‘And then, after the fact, determine which individuals and/or news sources you may prosecute for libel/slander/defamation.’
Although no one has been prosecuted legally in connection with the shooting, the Hutchins family has filed a lawsuit against Baldwin.
According to the lawsuit, Baldwin and the other producers “failed to execute industry standard safety checks and observe fundamental gun safety guidelines while utilizing actual firearms to make the film Rust, with devastating results.”
Other legal cases have also been launched against the actor and other producers, including one from script supervisor Mamie Mitchell.
She says she was just a few feet away from Baldwin when he shot the pistol and that she was the first to contact 911.
Mitchell alleges she had pain, ringing in her ears, and mental distress.
Baldwin’s lawyers tried to dismiss the claim in January, citing the gunshot as a working accident.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, has filed her own lawsuit, alleging that an ammunition supplier created unsafe circumstances by inserting real ammunition in a crate that was meant to contain only fake rounds.
The chief doctor for the project and the lead camera operator have both filed a lawsuit for emotional harm.
The ‘Rust’ film production firm received the maximum potential penalties of approximately $137,000 from New Mexico occupational safety inspectors.
Rust Movie Productions was fined $136,793 by New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, which also distributed a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took little or no action to address two misfires on set prior to the fatal shooting.
The bureau also recorded crew members’ unheeded gun safety objections and said that weapons experts were not permitted to make judgments concerning extra safety training.
Rust Movie Productions has said that it would contest the findings and penalties.