Alec Baldwin On Halyna Hutchins Shooting Death: ‘I Didn’t Pull The Trigger’

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Actor Alec Baldwin claims helium did not propulsion the trigger connected the weapon that was utilized to termination cinematographer Halyna Hutchins connected the New Mexico acceptable of the movie “Rust.”

“Well the trigger wasn’t pulled, I didn’t propulsion the trigger,” Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos from a clip of an interrogation that volition tally successful afloat Thursday.

“I would ne'er constituent a weapon astatine anyone and propulsion the trigger, never,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin besides alleges helium has “no idea” however the unrecorded slug got connected the set.

“Someone enactment a unrecorded slug successful a gun, a slug that wasn’t expected to beryllium connected the property,” Baldwin said.

On the day of Oct. 21, connected the acceptable of the Western “Rust” conscionable extracurricular Santa Fe, a azygous unrecorded circular from a Pietta Colt .45 revolver fired by Baldwin struck and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and wounded the film’s director, 48-year-old Joel Souza.

The 63-year-old Baldwin was wrong a religion building, sitting connected a woody pew, rehearsing unholstering his prop weapon and pointing it astatine the camera erstwhile helium fired it, according to a hunt warrant filed by Santa Fe County Sheriff’s investigators. Hutchins was deed successful the thorax and Souza successful the shoulder.

The firearm, which authorities confirmed was loaded with a unrecorded round, was “handled and/or inspected” by the film’s armor, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and assistant manager Dave Halls, anterior to it being fired by Baldwin, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.

The weapon was lone expected to beryllium loaded with dummy rounds. According to the hunt warrant filed by sheriff’s investigators, Halls had handed Baldwin the prop weapon and yelled that it was a “cold gun,” meaning it was not loaded with unrecorded ammunition.

A full of astir 500 rounds of ammunition were seized by investigators from the “Rust” movie acceptable pursuing the shooting. They included blanks, dummy rounds and what investigators fishy are different unrecorded rounds.

New Mexico authorities are inactive investigating however a unrecorded slug got successful the weapon — and arsenic precocious arsenic Tuesday, a Santa Fe justice issued a warrant that allowed constabulary to hunt the bureau of PDQ Arm & Prop LLC and its proprietor, Seth Kenney, the film’s weapons supplier.

According to a study Tuesday successful the Los Angeles Times, Kenney told investigators that reloaded ammunition — unrecorded rounds made by taking bare casings and installing a primer, gunpowder and a slug — whitethorn person ended up connected the acceptable on with the dummy rounds and blanks helium had provided.

According to the Times, Kenney told a detective connected Oct. 29 that “he whitethorn cognize wherever the unrecorded rounds came from.”

He besides told constabulary helium had received “reloaded ammunition” from a friend, whose sanction was not released, with the logo of Starline Brass, the institution whose ammunition components helium utilized for the film.

Tell Reed, the begetter of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, told a detective connected Nov. 15 that helium had worked connected a erstwhile accumulation with Kenney successful August oregon September, The Times reported. Reed, who has worked connected Hollywood movies arsenic a weapons expert, said they had provided grooming for the actors astatine a firing range, the affidavit stated.

Reed told investigators that Kenney asked him to bring unrecorded ammunition and that Kenney returned to New Mexico with the “ammo can” that Reed brought him and it inactive contained .45-caliber Colt ammunition.

“Tell stated this ammunition whitethorn lucifer the ammunition recovered connected the acceptable of `Rust,”‘ according to an affidavit.

Gutierrez-Reed had antecedently told investigators she had trouble loading the weapon that Baldwin was holding.

“Hannah stated determination was 1 circular that wouldn’t spell in, truthful aft luncheon she took the cleaner, cleaned it out, and enactment different circular in, which brought the full to six rounds loaded into the weapon,” Sheriff’s Detective Alexandria Hancock wrote successful an affidavit, The Times reported.

Along with the transgression investigation, the fatal shooting has led to an array of ineligible actions by unit members alleging wide negligence and unsafe conditions connected the movie set.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)