Alec Baldwin has insisted that he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his latest film “Rust”.
The tragic incident occurred on October 21 as Baldwin was said to be practicing drawing a revolver and pointing it at the camera.
Rumors and speculation have been rampant since that day as to what actually went wrong. What’s undeniably clear is that a gun loaded with a live round did go off, resulting in the death of the aforementioned Hutchins and the wounding of director Joel Souza.
Until now Baldwin has remained largely quiet on the matter, but in an exclusive interview with ABC News, due to air today, Thursday, December 2, he attempted to set the record straight.
In a preview of the interview released yesterday (Wednesday, December 1) interviewer George Stephanopoulos can be seen commenting on the fact that the film’s script did not call for the gun’s trigger to be pulled.
A visibly-shaken Baldwin responded: “Well, the trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger.”
The iconic actor continued: “No, no, no, no no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never.”
Stephanopoulos then pressed Baldwin as to how a real bullet made its way onto the set of “Rust”. Baldwin revealed that he had “no idea”.
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun,” Baldwin said. “A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
The 30 Rock star, who has found himself the target of right-wing supporters in the US in the aftermath of the shooting, admitted it was the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.
“Because I think back and I think of what could I have done,” Baldwin added.
As per an affidavit released by Reuters, Baldwin was practicing a cross draw when the gun went off.
The document states: “Joel stated that they had Alec sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw. Joel said he was looking over the shoulder of (Hutchins), when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop.
“Joel then vaguely remembers (Hutchins) complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection. Joel also said (Hutchins) began to stumble backwards and she was assisted to the ground.”
Sources say that the FBI and Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office are in the process of investigating the shooting. Earlier this week, law enforcement issued a new search warrant in the hope of tracing the live bullet back to the person responsible for its being on the set.
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t help thinking about what a terrible tragedy this is. A young woman has lost her life and another man has no doubt been scarred forever by events out of their control.
What do you think about Baldwin’s side of the story? Is it right that some are placing the blame in its entirety at his door? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.
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