An FBI forensic investigation determined that Alec Baldwin must have squeezed the trigger of a loaded pretend gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the “Rust” set. Baldwin had earlier denied firing the gun.
Hutchins was slain in New Mexico last October while working on the set of “Rust” after a gun that Baldwin was spotted wielding went off. The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office is conducting a homicide investigation because Baldwin reportedly thought he was handling an unloaded or “cold” gun.
The condition was essentially the same whether the hammer was completely cocked, and the FBI came to the conclusion that the gun “could not be made to fire without a squeeze of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and operable.”
According to FBI tests, the gun could have conceivably set off the cartridge’s primer “without pulling the trigger,” but only if it had been uncocked and the hammer had been “hit directly.”
In a December interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin said that he cocked the gun before discussing a forthcoming scene with Hutchins. He continued, stating “the trigger wasn’t pulled” and “I didn’t pull the trigger,” and that “the pistol goes off” after he let go of the hammer.
How much effort Baldwin would have needed to exert to depress the revolver’s trigger is unclear from ABC’s most recent report. Sport shooters like lighter triggers because they require less effort to pull the trigger, whereas heavier triggers demand a tighter squeeze to pull, which could affect accuracy in a competition.
Baldwin may be seen in the April video appearing to draw the revolver, point it at the camera, and pull the trigger. The video does not make it quite obvious whether he squeezed his finger.
Hutchins’ death was ruled an accident by New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator, which noted in a postmortem report “the absence of clear intent to cause pain or death.”
Charges in the case have not yet been announced by the prosecutors.
How the live ammunition got into the rifle is still a mystery. Back in October, a witness to the shooting claimed to Hollywood 411 that a horrified Baldwin questioned why he was given a “hot gun” (a weapon with live or blank bullets) following the incident.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the movie set, has subsequently filed a lawsuit against the ammunition vendor, alleging that it mixed live and blank shots. It is still unknown who on the team made the announcement that the gun was hot or cold, and whether everyone involved knew that the term “hot” normally refers to a weapon that is either loaded with blanks or live shots.
Before the tragic incident, cast members reportedly voiced concerns about the improper handling of firearms on site.
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