On Thursday of last week, 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin after he fired a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the film Rust. Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind Hutchins, was also wounded but has since recovered.
Information about the incident has been slowly trickling out, but some details are fuzzy and others are unverified. It’s still unclear how the gun misfired, why it had potentially damaging projectiles in it, or what, exactly, Baldwin was doing when the gun went off.
On Wednesday, authorities confirmed the gun in question — a 1873 replica F V Pietta long Colt .45 revolver — contained multiple rounds of ammunition. Police believe these were also fired by Baldwin, though it’s unclear when. Police would not elaborate on a potential timeline for the incident overall.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said police also recovered a “lead projectile” — or bullet — from Souza’s shoulder, which will be sent along with approximately 600 pieces of evidence including “possible additional live rounds on set” to the FBI for analysis.
“As of right now, there were three firearms that were located on the set within close proximity to the to the incident,” Mendoza told reporters during a joint news conference on Wednesday.
“We’ll send the firearm that was fired by Mr. Baldwin to the crime lab and do a functionality test.”
It is unclear if Baldwin will face charges for the shooting. There was no footage of the incident taken on the film set, making it difficult to get definitive evidence of what happened, Mendoza added.
He noted there were two other guns on-set in close proximity to the one used by Baldwin. One, Mendoza said was a single action Army .45 revolver that “may not be functioning,” while the other was a plastic non-functioning revolver.
Santa Fe district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, who was also present at the conference, said that it was too soon to tell whether anyone could be charged with criminal negligence.
According to court records, the gun Baldwin used was one of three that a firearms specialist, or armourer, had set on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed.
Assistant director Dave Halls then allegedly grabbed a gun off a cart and handed it to Baldwin, indicating that the weapon was safe by yelling “cold gun,” court papers say. But it was loaded with live rounds, according to the records. Both the armourer and Halls have provided statements to the police.
Baldwin, 63, who’s said to be incredibly distraught by the incident, described the killing as a “tragic accident.”
It remains an active, open investigation.
—With files from The Associated Press
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