Alec Baldwin Says He Never Pulled The Trigger On The Gun That Killed Halyna Hutchins

December 2, 2021 / Posted by:

Alec Baldwin has sat down for his first official interview since a loaded prop gun was discharged on the set of the western film Rust in Santa Fe, NM, which injured director Joel Souza and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. I’m saying it’s his first official interview because I’m pretty sure that messy roadside chat with the paps in Vermont would be no publicist’s suggestion of a good idea. So about six weeks after the devastating – and allegedly very much preventable – tragedy on the set of Rust, Alec is speaking his side of things to ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, and he claims that yes technically he was holding the gun when it went off, but he never deliberately pulled the trigger.

I would have assumed that Alec’s lawyers told him to say nothing about this situation until a court of law tells him he has to speak on it (Alec, as well the lead armorer on the shoot, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and assistant director Dave Halls, have been named in a lawsuit filed by Rust’s gaffer Serge Svetnoy). But maybe it’s ok to do a sit-down interview and state the facts as you know them. Alec’s interview with ABC News will air tonight and stream on Hulu shortly after it airs on ABC, but they released a teaser for the interview, which includes the very confusing note from Alec that his finger never pulled the trigger on that gun. That of course had my brain start playing “We Both Reached For The Gun” from Chicago, while wondering if there was someone who came up behind Alec, slipped their hand in behind his, and fired the gun without his knowledge. It’s actually a lot more simple than that. Not only was that gun not supposed to have live ammunition in it, but it sounds like that gun was manufactured for the grip strength of a praying mantis. Because according to Alec, that gun went off in his hands without any application to the trigger. via ABC:

Alec Baldwin told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview that he had “no idea” how a live bullet got onto the set of his film, Rust, but that he “didn’t pull the trigger” on the firearm that killed one person and wounded another.

“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos in a first look at the upcoming interview. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” he added.

Dave Halls, through his attorney, co-signs Alec’s claim and says that Alec’s “finger was never in the trigger guard.”

Alec adds that it’s still a huge shock what happened, and that he literally couldn’t have done anything different that day to affect the outcome, saying that the gun was an antique that was literally being used in a rehearsal scene, and he was assured it was a “cold” gun, meaning there was no ammunition inside, and that he believed there were no real bullets on set. And also, there’s the whole thing about Alec not even squeezing the trigger.

“I think back and I think of what could I have done?” Baldwin said. “She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her] and liked by everyone who worked with [her], and admired..I mean, even now I find it hard to believe that [she’s gone]. It doesn’t seem real to me.”

Here’s the trailer for that interview, which features Alec getting pretty choked up several times, as well as telling George Stephanopoulos with absolute certainty that this situation is the “worst thing that’s ever happened” to him.

ABC News also reports that earlier this week, that a new search warrant was authorized to search an Albuquerque prop house, and that investigators believe they may have discovered the source of where that bullet came from. So, this situation of course is only bound to get messier once fingers can start being more accurately pointed.

But if Alec is telling the truth, that one of his fingers never bent at the knuckle and pulled the trigger, then this is the most fucked-up gun situation in history. An old dusty and rusty gun that shouldn’t have had a bullet inside but did, AND one that fired off out of the blue? I’m all for realism, but let’s at least draw the line at weapons only the ghost of Annie Oakley knows how to use properly.

Pic: ABC

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