FBI Report Concludes Alec Baldwin Did Pull The Trigger In Fatal Rust Shooting

Despite his claims to the contrary, a new FBI report determined that “Rust” star and producer Alec Baldwin, did in fact pull the trigger on the gun that fatally wounded cinematographer Halayna Hutchins nearly ten months ago.

Baldwin has adamantly maintained that he would “never” point a gun at someone and pull the trigger, but an FBI forensics report obtained by ABC News concluded that the single action .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta revolver that the actor was holding could only fire if the trigger was pulled. 

In an interview with ABC News in December 2021, Baldwin tearfully told host George Stephanopoulos that he was informed by a crew member that his gun was “cold,” or not loaded with live ammunition, prior to rehearsing a scene with Hutchins was guiding his movements. 

“I’m not shooting to camera lens. I’m holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which turned out to be below her armpit,” Baldwin recalled. “But we kept doing this…. I start to cock the gun. She said, just ‘cheat it down, could you see that, could you see that.’ I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off.”

Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting, but Baldwin was insistent that “the trigger wasn’t pulled.”

“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never.” he remarked. “Someone is responsible for what happened, but I know it isn’t me.”

However, according to ballistics experiments performed on the same model of gun “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” whether it was cocked a quarter length, halfway, or fully. 

The completed report was sent to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator and Santa Fe Sheriffs’ Office for review, before it will be forwarded off to the district attorney, who will determine if criminal charges should be brought against Baldwin, or any other members of the “Rust” production crew.

Marie Finn