The incident involving the death of the cinematographer on the film "Rust" continues to raise numerous questions, especially following a new statement from actor Alec Baldwin. Baldwin stated that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust," while investigators in New Mexico are focusing on how live ammunition made its way to the filming location.
In his first full interview regarding the shooting incident that occurred on October 21, Baldwin said he was holding a gun that he was told was safe for use. Speaking in an ABC interview, as per a snippet aired on Wednesday with the full interview set to be broadcast on Thursday, he stated, "Well, the trigger wasn't pulled, I didn't pull the trigger." He added, "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never," as reported by Reuters.
Cinematographer Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in what Baldwin previously described as a tragic accident while filming a scene for the film near Santa Fe, which is part of the American Western film genre. The Santa Fe Police Department stated on Wednesday that they had no comment on Baldwin's statement.
It remains unclear whether authorities are pursuing a scenario of accidental discharge, and no criminal charges have been filed. Investigators are focusing their efforts on understanding how live ammunition reached the scene instead of using blanks. Court documents released on Wednesday revealed that investigators found documents related to the film "Rust" and what is suspected to be live ammunition for a gun similar to the one Baldwin was using during a search of a supplier of weapons for filming locations this week.
The court documents stated that supplier Seth Kenney had previously informed the police that he believed the live rounds found on set may have been "reloaded ammunition" that he had obtained from a friend. Reloaded ammunition consists of recycled components, including bullets.
Baldwin, who is known for playing a self-absorbed network executive in the comedy series "30 Rock," has kept a low profile since the incident. Two crew members from the film have filed a lawsuit accusing Baldwin, the film's producers, and others involved in the production of negligence and laxity in enforcing safety protocols. The producers stated that they are conducting an internal investigation into the incident.
In an intriguing development, script supervisor Mamie Mitchell earlier surprised in one of the lawsuits by stating that the film script never required firing a gun during the scene Baldwin was rehearsing when he shot the cinematographer last month. Mitchell claimed that Baldwin should have checked for himself that the gun did not contain live ammunition and should not have solely relied on the director's assistant's assurance that the gun was safe to use.
