Alec Baldwin shown practicing with gun on Rust set in new police video
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Authorities released a trove of video and photo evidence from the set of the Western Rust on Monday, six months after actor and producer Alec Baldwin fired the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The materials include lapel and dash camera footage taken by authorities on Oct. 21, 2021, as well as silent footage of the film crew setting up a shot with Baldwin inside a church. The audio-less video shows Baldwin sitting on a church pew with his Stetson hat covering his face. He then rehearses the motion of whipping out the revolver and pointing it towards camera.
It appears to be the same F.lli Pietta 45 Long Colt Revolver that later misfired and killed Hutchins, while wounding director Joel Souza. Though he was the one holding the gun, Baldwin has claimed he did not pull the trigger and was told it was not loaded.
Courtesy of Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Video footage of the 'Rust' set released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office shows Alec Baldwin practicing with a gun before the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
"Today the sheriff's office is releasing all files associated with our ongoing investigation," Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a statement. "The files are all related to the Rust movie set investigation and include lapel/dash camera footage from deputies and detectives, incident reports, crime scene photos, examination reports, witness interviews, set video, and staff photos collected throughout the course of this investigation."
Other, more hard-to-watch videos, include medics treating Hutchins and Souza in addition to Souza describing the events to authorities from an emergency room bed and asking if Hutchins is okay. He says he heard "a very loud bang, and then it felt like someone kicked me in the shoulder."
Baldwin is further seen telling police in an interview, "I take the gun out slowly. I turn, I cock the pistol. Bang, it goes off. She [Hutchins] hits the ground. She goes down. He [Souza] goes down screaming."
As reported by The New York Times, the files show a report of a phone call between Baldwin and one of the investigators, Detective Alexandria Hancock, conducted on Nov. 3. The report says the actor pulled the hammer of the gun approximately three-quarters back and then let it go, at which point the gun discharged. The report also notes Baldwin said he had his finger on the trigger but did not pull the trigger.
Courtesy of Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Alec Baldwin shown rehearsing a scene for the movie 'Rust' on the day of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau issued what they called "the highest level of citation" and a "maximum fine" of more than $136,000 to the Rust production, per a press release on April 20. Afterwards, Baldwin's attorney released a statement on the report.
"We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds," the statement reads, in part. "Additionally, the report recognizes that Mr. Baldwin's authority on the production was limited to approving script changes and creative casting. Mr. Baldwin had no authority over the matters that were the subject of the Bureau's findings of violations, and we are pleased that the New Mexico officials have clarified these critical issues. We are confident that the individuals identified in the report will be held accountable for this tragedy."
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