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alec baldwin turns over cell phone in 'rust' shooting investigation - cnn

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Alec Baldwin turns over cell phone in 'Rust' shooting investigation

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Alec Baldwin has turned over his cell phone to law enforcement officials as part of their investigation into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," the Santa Fe County District Attorney's office told CNN.

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A flower bouquet hangs outside the Bonanza Creek Film Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., Saturday, Oct. 23, ... [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Questions of accountability remain more than a week after the disturbing news that actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded a director by firing a gun that was intended for use as a movie prop on the set of "Rust," but apparently was loaded with a live bullet. Law enforcement, insurers, crew members, and families seek answers as to how this fatal incident could have occurred. Who should be held responsible for the untimely death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injuries sustained by director Joel Souza?

Because he is the big name in the film and unfortunately fired the gun, a lot of focus has been placed on Alec Baldwin. However, the fact that he pulled the trigger is not a basis for any legal liability against him. It is clear that not only did he not know it was loaded, but was specifically told in the filmmakers' lingo that it was not loaded by having the assistant director on the film yell "cold gun." The investigation likely will work backwards from there and trace who had the gun that was used and how it ended up being loaded.

The assistant director who announced the gun was "cold" clearly was wrong and one can assume did not actually check to determine whether or not the gun was loaded. Experienced producers have stated that this is a serious breach of safety and best practices when dealing with weapons on set. Before making a statement like that, the individual making that statement must personally make sure the statement is true and that the gun was not loaded. This is especially the case when the weapon is being passed on to an actor who is justifiably relying on the crew to ensure safety while the actor works in character on the creative aspects of the scene.

While we do not know who had possession of the gun before it was passed to Baldwin by the assistant director, we do know that the armorer for the film has primary responsibility for all guns on set and for their safe use. Much has been written about the armorer's lack of experience, being 24-years-old and having only worked as the head armorer on one previous film. Moreover, it has been reported that all sorts of bullets were found around the set, including live rounds with bullets, dummy rounds, and blanks, and it appears that all of that ammunition was found randomly on set, including in a crew member's fanny pack. Experienced producers and armorers have said that there never should be live rounds on set at all, let alone loaded into an unattended weapon left on a props cart, and all ammunition should be kept track of and stored separate from the weapons and not left in the weapons. The same Hollywood pros are saying that if real bullets are needed for filming (which shouldn't be the case except in rare circumstances), they should only be used with the smallest crew possible in an area far away from people or other crew members, in isolated areas appropriate for shooting live rounds, with everyone present and accounted for in their safe locations before the discharge of such live rounds. Shockingly, it has been reported that the guns used in the film were fired by the crew with real bullets at cans for fun, which is a serious breach of protocol. If what has been reported is true, this is clear evidence of lax safety protocols with the weapons, and likely falls on the armorer, who would be responsible for the security of weapons and ammunition.

Movie industry worker Hailey Josselyn, wearing a t-shirt of the International Alliance of Theatrical ... [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moreover, this story echoes the battles currently being waged by film crews and unions such as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) over crew safety and being pushed to cut safety corners to keep on schedule and on budget. As more details about crew member experiences on the set of "Rust" are revealed, many are wondering if this devastating loss of life could have been easily avoided, had anyone simply listened to concerns raised about the set conditions or the actions of those who were entrusted with upholding well-known industry safety protocols. Indeed, it has been reported that days before the incident, crew members walked off the set due to safety concerns.

Further investigation is also needed to look into whether the claims of unsafe working conditions were a contributing factor the shooting. What specific safety concerns were there? Did they relate to the treatment of weapons on set? Were there other issues, such as substandard turnaround times that taxed crew members? How might those issues relate to the shooting? Did the producers hire inexperienced people or people with a known history of unsafe behavior to cut costs?

This issue is where the focus will again turn on Alec Baldwin, who not only was an actor in the film, but also a producer. The Producers Guild has guidelines about who gets that specific credit and title, but merely having that title does not mean you had full authority over the set or any authority on the set. Many people receive that title for doing various actions, such as obtaining funding or providing significant creative contributions. But, it is clear that if the key decision-making producers did cut safety protocols or knowingly hired unqualified personnel or personnel with a history of problems, those producers may face liability. If Baldwin was among these decision-makers, then he may face liability as well.

While we may not know for weeks or months what criminal charges will be filed, those charges could be involuntary manslaughter as well as criminally negligent homicide for those individuals directly responsible for safety on the set, and for the weapons in particular. Moreover, civil liability is likely as well. Some would cite workers' compensation laws as being an exclusive remedy, but those apply to the employee, not the employee's family-families who can sue for wrongful death if the death was due to negligence and there was a monetary injury (loss of income).

The "Midnight Rider" case is telling on what may happen here. During filming on train tracks, a train came unexpectedly down the tracks, injuring several crew members and killing one of them. After it was found that unsafe working conditions existed on the set that led to the accident, the director, two producers, and the first assistant director of that film were all charged with, among other charges, involuntary manslaughter. The director received a 10-year jail sentence of which he served 1 year and then probation, one of the producers was sentenced to 10 years of probation, and the first assistant director was sentenced to 10 years of probation. Further, during the probation, all of these individuals were precluded from working as a director, assistant director or in any other capacity involving employee safety.

Only time will tell if this will cause a change in the industry that has notoriously put dollars and cents over people's safety. Arising from this incident is a swell of voices from film crew members saying they will no longer endure the risks of fast-paced productions at the expense of crew safety. It will be up to the criminal justice system to put forceful action behind these voices.
Legal Entertainment has reached out to Ms. Reed, 3rd Shift Media, and other parties involved in the production and will update this story with any comments. In a previous media statement, producer Allen Cheney distanced himself and Emily Salveson from the production. "Consistent with financing partners across productions of all sizes, Streamline Global, Emily Salveson and I received executive producer credit on the film 'Rust,' having no involvement with the physical and day to day production." Bryan Sullivan , Partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae, advises and represents his clients as a legal strategist in all their business affairs. He has significant experience on the litigation and appeals side of the practice, as well as with entertainment and intellectual property contracts, investment and financing agreements, and corporate structure documents on the dealmaking side.

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'Rust' Shooting - Who Could Be Held Legally Responsible And Why?

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Questions of accountability remain more than a week after the disturbing news that actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer and wounded a director by firing a gun that was intended for use as a movie prop on the set of "Rust," but apparently was loaded with a live bullet.

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Alec Baldwin 'Rust' shooting: New developments involving actor's cellphone | LiveNOW from FOX

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Public Reaction to Alec Baldwin Interview 

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Public Reaction to Alec Baldwin Interview 

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Alec Baldwin opened up about the fatal shooting on the set of his film " Rust" in a tell-all interview on Thursday night - but many viewers weren't buying what he had to say.

The 63-year-old actor sat down with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News to recount what happened on a New Mexico movie set Oct. 21 when a gun he was holding was discharged, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Some viewers of the interview weren't very impressed with what the former " 30 Rock" star had to say.

"How did Alec Baldwin's lawyers allow him to do this interview?" one asked on Twitter. "This is nothing but a clout chasing performance. We should be centering the victim, not him."
EMOTIONAL ALEC BALDWIN RECALLS 'RUST' SHOOTING: 'IF I FELT THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE, I MIGHT HAVE KILLED MYSELF'

"Im side eyeing Alec..I'm not buying what he is selling," another wrote.

A third bashed: "I'm not the victim but let's talk about me for an hour."
ALEC BALDWIN'S CLAIM HE DIDN'T PULL TRIGGER ON 'RUST' QUESTIONED BY SHERIFF: 'GUNS DON'T JUST GO OFF'
"Note to Hollywood: if you ever do a movie with Alec Baldwin and something goes wrong, he will throw you directly under the bus," yet another added.

Among the star's revelations was his claim that he never pulled the trigger, but that he slightly pulled back the hammer on the revolver, resulting in a discharge when he let go.

Viewers didn't buy it, however.

"He wants us to believe he didn't pull the trigger and the gun just misfired by itself?!?!" said one.
'RUST' ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MAINTAINS ALEC BALDWIN'S CLAIM HE DIDN'T PULL TRIGGER IN FATAL SHOOTING: ATTORNEY
"If Alec wasn't such a good actor, I'd believe every word," another added.

"Baldwin is one hell of an actor... ACTION!!!" said a viewer. "He's performing baby."

Another viewer took aim at ABC for airing the interview in the first place.
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"ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to 'act' his innocence. Not on that, he's able to 'act' others guilt," they said. "Sickening."

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Yet another mentioned Stephanopoulos, calling him out for his political views while calling Baldwin a " sorry mother f---er."

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Alec Baldwin slammed for tell-all interview about 'Rust' shooting: 'A clout chasing performance'

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Alec Baldwin opened up about the fatal shooting on the set of his film " Rust" in a tell-all interview on Thursday night - but many viewers weren't buying what he had to say. The 63-year-old actor sat down with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News to recount what happened on a New Mexico movie set Oct.

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Alec Tells Reporters He Does Not Feel Guilt

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Alec Tells Reporters He Does Not Feel Guilt

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC

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The actor sat down for an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos, produced by George Stephanopoulos Productions, his first since the deadly shooting on the set of his movie, 'Rust'

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC https://t.co/F64P3aR9vB

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC pic.twitter.com/F64P3aR9vB
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2021

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC https://t.co/F64P3aR9vB

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC https://t.co/F64P3aR9vB

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.@GStephanopoulos: "Do you feel guilt?"

Alec Baldwin: “No. Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

NOW STREAMING on @Hulu: https://t.co/4iAWW86Kbw #BaldwinABC https://t.co/F64P3aR9vB

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt. 

Sickening. 

#BaldwinABC

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt. 

Sickening. 

#BaldwinABC

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt.

Sickening. #BaldwinABC
— HogT1de™ (@HogT1de) December 3, 2021

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt. 

Sickening. 

#BaldwinABC

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt. 

Sickening. 

#BaldwinABC

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ABC is pure scum for giving Baldwin a platform to "act" his innocence. Not on that, he's able to "act" others guilt. 

Sickening. 

#BaldwinABC

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Celebrities showed their support for actor Alec Baldwin after he did his first sit-down interview about what happened during the fatal shooting that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured.

Baldwin described to viewers what happened the day he fatally shot Hutchins on the set of " Rust," from the moment he says he "let go of the hammer" and the gun went off to his interview with police at the station afterward.

Following the interview, Baldwin shared a post on social media saying his life with his family is all he cares about.

"No matter what happens to me. No matter what I suffer. If I win or lose, anything. Anything. No one can take away from me the joy and love you have given me, @hilariabaldwin," Baldwin began his post. "These are tough times. The world is choked with fumes of hate. But you have given me a reason to live. Our life with our family is all I care about. Nothing else. I owe that to you."
ALEC BALDWIN SLAMMED FOR 'RUST' TELL-ALL INTERVIEW: 'A CLOUT CHASING PERFORMANCE'

In addition to Baldwin's wife Hilaria saying she loves the actor, the comment section of the post was flooded with support from fellow celebrities.

"So beautifully said!" Marilu Henner wrote. "Omg! I love you guys so much!!!"

Leslie Jordan added, "Stay strong, Alec. We love you and your beautiful family."

Dina Lohan also commented, writing, "Love you and your wife and family you told me once home is where your heart is kiddo ... sending love and light."

"My friend, no matter what happens in our lives that we can't control. I am with you," Anne Heche wrote. "Mostly because I know the kindess of your soul."

"The pain will pass," Anne Welsh added. "It's been a tough year."

Amanda Kloots, Manuela Gonzalez Daza, Danielle Monaro and others added heart emojis.

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However, some viewers of the interview clearly weren't impressed with what the former "" star had to say.

"How did Alec Baldwin's lawyers allow him to do this interview?" one asked on Twitter. "This is nothing but a clout chasing performance. We should be centering the victim, not him."

"Im side eyeing Alec..I'm not buying what he is selling," another wrote.

A third critic sarcastically added, "I'm not the victim but let's talk about me for an hour."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Other viewers chimed in and accused Baldwin of "performing" during the tell-all interview.

"If Alec wasn't such a good actor, I'd believe every word," another added.

"Baldwin is one hell of an actor... ACTION!!!" said a viewer. "He's performing baby."
Fox News' Nate Day contributed to this report.

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Celebrities rally around Alec Baldwin while the public criticizes him following tell-all 'Rust' interview

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Celebrities showed their support for actor Alec Baldwin after he did his first sit-down interview about what happened during the fatal shooting that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured.

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Ireland Baldwin is vowing to ignore the negative comments that come her way.

The daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger participated in the recent social media trend in which celebrities introduce themselves with their real name but then mention names of characters they've played. In Ireland's case, however, she used cruel names she's heard over the years, including her father's 2007 "thoughtless little pig" comment.

"My name is Ireland... but the media likes to call me..." she wrote in the TikTok video that was set to The Ting Tings' "That's Not My Name."

As she dances to the song, the words "fat," "attention seeking, voluptuous, promiscuous" and "thoughtless little pig" appear onscreen.

It's unclear why she blamed the media for the latter comment when it was the embattled "Rust" actor who infamously called her the horrible nickname in an angry voicemail when she was just 11 years old. That being said, she's moved on from the ordeal.

"My name is Ireland. I'm a writer. And I think pigs are cute so jokes [sic] on you," she ended the video.

In a lengthy Instagram caption that accompanied the post, the 26-year-old called the time being upset over nicknames "wasted."

"I can't even tell you how much time I've wasted worrying about headlines and comments. Can you believe that?" she wrote. "Can you believe how much control we give others and how much power we give their narratives. Maybe you don't experience this on the scale that I do, but the majority of us have been called names and have had assumptions made about us."

Ireland Baldwin reflected on the cruel nicknames she's been called over the years - including by dad Alec Baldwin.

Ireland went on to say she no longer "could give less of a s-t" what the media calls her because it's "one giant garbage dump."

"I know who I am for the first time in a long time and I'm excited to show you what I've been working on," she wrote, adding that she knows her future work in the entertainment industry will draw comparisons to the "achievements of both my parents."

The self-described writer ended her caption with one final note of self-confidence.

"I don't give a f-k what you think about how I look, what I wear, what I think and say, and damn does it feel good to get to this point," she concluded.

Alec, 63, left the voicemail in question in the midst of his bitter custody battle with Basinger, 68, to whom he was married from 1993 to 2002.

The "Saturday Night Live" alum later admitted the audio " hurt [Ireland] in a permanent way," though the duo poked fun at it together as recently as 2015.

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Ireland Baldwin reflects on dad Alec's 'thoughtless little pig' comment

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Ireland Baldwin is vowing to ignore the negative comments that come her way. The daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger participated in the recent social media trend in which celebrities introduce themselves with their real name but then mention names of characters they've played.

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Alec Baldwin’s quick return to work following ‘Rust’ shooting calls ‘sincerity’ into question, expert says

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Alec Baldwin’s quick return to work might have moviegoers questioning his “sincerity” after the “Rust” shooting left him saying he might never act again…

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‘Rust’ Script Supervisor Sues Alec Baldwin for ‘Assault’ After Deadly Set Shooting

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Mamie Mitchell, who was “standing close” to Hutchins when Baldwin fired, faults the actor for not checking his prop weapon himself

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The father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Santa Fe set of the movie , told ABC News that he believes that sabotage was to blame for the loaded gun on the set, leading to weapon discharging as Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene on Oct. 21.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joe Souza was injured in the incident, but sheriff's investigators are trying to determine why live ammunition was in the weapon Baldwin used.

Gutierrez-Reed's father, Thell Reed, himself a veteran armorer in the industry, said that there was "a lot of motive there" for sabotage.

Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, said, "Somebody wanted to cause a safety incident on set. Nobody wanted anybody to be killed. We have developed evidence of motive here. Why they wanted to do that. Why Hannah might have been a target and that has all gone to the sheriff."

Thell Reed told ABC News' Good Morning America that after his daughter to assistant director Dave Halls, she stayed outside of the church set where the rehearsal was taking place. He said that it was the first time since the production began that she didn't directly hand the gun to Baldwin in advance of a rehearsal or scene. He suggested that his daughter had to tend to dual duties as prop assistant.

Reed said that that had his daughter been inside the church, "She would have re checked that gun, and if there was a live round in there she would have caught it."

Reed also defended his daughter's experience, saying that "she has been raised around gun safety since she was a little girl."

"She doesn't need more training," Reed said. "She has got me."

Bowles said that Gutierrez-Reed "had spun the cylinder, she had given it to Halls, she had shown him each of the six rounds. Halls was going to take custody of that weapon." He said that sabotage "is the most likely possibility. Probability." He has previously said that he believes that someone may have "intended to sabotage this set with a live round intentionally placed in a box of dummies."

Baldwin told ABC News in an interview last week that he has no idea how the live ammunition on the set, but he said that it was "overwhelmingly likely" that the incident was accidental.

Sabotage, Baldwin said, is "an enormous charge to make, that someone came and did something, for what purpose? To attack who? To discredit who? To harm me? The production? What was their motive in doing that, if somebody did that?"

On Thursday, Baldwin is scheduled to make his first formal public appearance, as the emcee of the Ripple of Hope Award Gala held by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

The complete interview below.

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Father Of 'Rust' Armorer Says Sabotage Might Be To Blame For Live Rounds In Gun Used By Alec Baldwin

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The father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Santa Fe set of the movie , told ABC News that he believes that sabotage was to blame for the loaded gun on the set, leading to weapon discharging as Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene on Oct. 21.

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'Rust' Camera Assistant Discusses Safety Concerns.

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'Rust' Camera Assistant Discusses Safety Concerns.

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Lane Luper spoke on "Good Morning America" about the "Rust" incident.

A crew member on the movie set of "Rust" talked to "Good Morning America" about his safety concerns on that set.

Lane Luper, formerly first camera assistant on the film, had quit and left the production the day before the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Hours before Hutchins was shot by actor Alec Baldwin on set, Luper and half a dozen other members of the camera department walked off the set in protest of poor working conditions.

"What I put in my resignation letter was: lax COVID policies, the housing situation -- driving to and from Albuquerque -- and specifically gun safety, a lack of rehearsals, a lack of preparing the crew for what we were doing that day," Luper told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.

When Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set, it killed Hutchins and injured the film's director, Joel Souza, who was hospitalized. Production of "Rust" was paused.

Luper claims that there were very few safety meetings and that complaints about safety were ignored. He said safety bulletins, which are manuals for how to run a safe set, were ignored and not attached to call sheets.

In his resignation letter, Luper said gunfights on the set were often played "very fast and loose" and that there had been "two accidental weapons discharges and one accidental [sound effects] explosives that have gone off around the crew between takes."

"In my 10 years as a camera assistant, I've never worked on a show that cares so little for the safety of its crew," Luper wrote.

"Rust" producers deny Luper's claims.

"Mr. Luper's allegations around budget and safety are patently false, which is not surprising considering his job was to be a camera operator, and he had absolutely nothing to do with, or knowledge of, safety protocols or budgets. As we continue to cooperate with all investigations, we are limited in what we can say," producers said in a statement to ABC News. "However, safety is always the number one priority on our films, and it is truly awful to see some using this tragedy for personal gain."

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said investigators suspect a real bullet was loaded in the firearm that Baldwin discharged.

According to a search warrant affidavit, assistant director David Halls handed the gun to Baldwin and yelled "cold gun" to alert the crew of a gun with no live rounds in it. Halls told investigators that he didn't know there were any live rounds in the gun when he gave it to Baldwin.

The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also being scrutinized for her potential role in the incident. Her attorney has stated that she had no idea where the live rounds came from.

Three guns -- a Colt revolver, an apparently non-functioning .45-caliber revolver and a plastic non-functioning prop gun -- were seized from the set. Some 500 rounds of ammunition -- a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and live rounds -- were also found on set, according to Mendoza.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said no decision has been made on whether charges will be filed and that "no one has been ruled out at this point."
ABC News' Bill Hutchinson, Meredith Deliso and Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.

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'Rust' camera assistant who quit before shooting says safety concerns were ignored

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Lane Luper spoke on "Good Morning America" about the "Rust" incident. A crew member on the movie set of "Rust" talked to "Good Morning America" about his safety concerns on that set. Lane Luper, formerly first camera assistant on the film, had quit and left the production the day before the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

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On the morning of Oct. 21, Alec Baldwin had an epiphany.

Sitting in a church pew on the set of "Rust," a low-budget Western film, the star actor observed the hustle-and-bustle around him with a renewed sense of appreciation. A project he loved was finally coming to life - the magic of the cinema felt within reach.

"I sat on that bench, and I said, 'This movie has made me love making movies again,'" Baldwin told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in his first exclusive interview .

"I really thought we were onto something," he continued. "And then this gun goes off."

Hours after his moment of reflection, Baldwin was holding an antique Colt .45 revolver during a marking rehearsal for the film, when the prop gun discharged a live bullet, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

"Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," Baldwin said. "Someone is ​responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Baldwin sat down with Stephanopoulos to sift through the series of events that led to Hutchins' death, saying he had no reason to suspect a live bullet could be in the prop gun. He also discussed the criticism, litigation and investigations surrounding the ​incident.

"I don't know what happened on that set. I don't know how that bullet arrived in that gun. I don't know," Baldwin said. "But I'm all for doing anything that will take us to a place where this is less likely to happen again."
"Alec Baldwin Unscripted," produced by George Stephanopoulos Productions, airs in a one-hour primetime special event on Thursday 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC and streaming on Hulu .
Next week, a two-hour "20/20" delves into the events ahead of the deadly shooting on the set of "Rust" and the pending investigations into what went wrong, and features the Baldwin interview and new interviews. "20/20" airs Friday, Dec. 10 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu.
'A cold gun'
The cast and crew of "Rust" were working against the clock, Baldwin said. The budget, approximately $7 million, accounted for just 21 days of filming at the famed Bonanza Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The film's producers were excited to have secured Hutchins, a 41-year-old mother and a rising star in the notoriously competitive industry. Baldwin and Hutchins had never worked together before.

"I loved working with this woman," he said. "She was a joy. Everyone loved her as a person. And everyone admired her talent."

On the day of the shooting, Baldwin said he and Hutchins met to discuss an upcoming scene. In it, Baldwin was playing a cornered and badly wounded character who would draw his weapon on two foes.

During rehearsal, Baldwin said the film's first assistant director, Dave Halls, handed him a revolver. Baldwin recalled Halls telling him, "This is a cold gun" - industry jargon for a weapon that is either literally empty or loaded with non-firing "dummy" rounds.

"Now, what happened there, and why he made that statement, and what the realities were, I have, again, I have no idea," Baldwin said.

Lisa Torraco, a lawyer for Halls, has since said that checking the weapon was "not his responsibility," and that "expecting an assistant director to check a firearm is like telling the assistant director to check the camera angle or telling the assistant director to check sound or lighting."

Torraco also would not confirm if Halls was the person who handed Baldwin the gun.
'I didn't pull the trigger'
Gun in hand, Baldwin said he and Hutchins began blocking out the scene. She was directing his every move, he said: "Everything is at her direction."

"This was a marking rehearsal," Baldwin said. "And [Hutchins] says to me, 'Hold the gun lower. Go to your right. Okay, right there. All right, do that. Now show it a little bit lower.' And she's getting me to position the gun."

"She's guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle," he said. "I'm holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit."

What happened next remains a mystery. It's the subject of intense public scrutiny and an investigation fronted by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

To get the shot, Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun, but not fire it: "The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger."

"I cock the gun. I go, 'Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?'" Baldwin said. "And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off."

"So, you never pulled the trigger?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"No, no, no, no, no," Baldwin said. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them."

Torraco, Halls' attorney, corroborated Baldwin's account on Thursday, saying Halls told her "from day one" that he was watching from three or four feet away and "the entire time Baldwin had his finger outside the trigger guard parallel to the barrel ... that Alec did not pull that trigger."
The aftermath: Chaos and confusion
After cocking and releasing the gun's hammer, Baldwin recalled that, "first of all, everyone is horrified, they're shocked, it's loud."

"[Hutchins] goes down. I thought to myself, 'Did she faint?'" he said. "The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me till probably 45 minutes to an hour later."

Baldwin said accidental discharges of blanks or dummy rounds on film and television sets are common. In fact, crew members have since said that there had already been at least one accidental discharge on the "Rust" set just days before the fatal incident.

So when Baldwin's gun discharged, he said it wasn't immediately clear to him or anyone else watching the scene that something terrible had happened.

Baldwin said Halls telling him he was handling a "cold gun" added an additional layer of confusion because it meant the gun was supposed to be clear of live rounds.

In the chaos that followed, Baldwin said he wondered whether Hutchins had been hit by an errant projectile from a malfunctioning gun, like "wadding," which packs gunpowder into the barrel, or perhaps even had a heart attack.

"No one could understand," he said.

Hutchins had been shot in the chest with a live bullet. Souza, a longtime friend and collaborator of Baldwin's, had been standing behind Hutchins when the discharge occurred and was hit with the same bullet.

Baldwin said he stood over Hutchins for 60 seconds, "kind of in shock," he said, before being told to leave the area. Baldwin said he and other crew members had their eyes "glued" to the emergency helicopter that arrived some 30 minutes later.

He said he then went to the sheriff's office. There, he said officers showed him a photo of a lead bullet that had been removed from Souza. That's when officers told him Hutchins had died, he said.

"At the very end of my interview with the sheriff's department ... they said to me, 'We regret to tell you that [Hutchins] didn't make it,'" Baldwin said. "They told me right then and there."
Crew complaints, claims of an unsafe set
Some crew members have described the fatal incident as a symptom of a production in disarray, leveling allegations in the press and in civil litigation of unsafe work conditions, long hours, insufficient housing accommodations and under-qualified hires.

Just hours before the shooting, several crew members walked off the set in protest.

Baldwin was wary of those complaints, framing the 12- or 13-hour workdays as common practice on film sets.

He said any allegations of an unsafe work environment were never brought to his attention nor, he said, did he perceive working conditions as unsafe.

Baldwin said that the day before some crew members quit, Lane Luper, a camera assistant, alerted him to issues with hotel rooms for the crew, but made no mention of safety issues. Baldwin said he was prepared to return a portion of his salary to support better accommodations. But the next day, without warning to him, according to Baldwin, the crew members did not show up.

"They decided to renegotiate the contract in the middle of filming, which is not a good idea, as far as I'm concerned," Baldwin said.

Another target of public scrutiny - and the two civil lawsuits - is Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film's 24-year-old armorer and prop master. As armorer, Gutierrez Reed, the daughter of famed Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, was responsible for maintaining, handling, loading and unloading any weapons on set. When Baldwin arrived on set, he said Gutierrez Reed gave him a 90-minute demonstration on gun safety.

Gutierrez Reed had only worked as an armorer on one film prior to "Rust," and was tasked with splitting her time between armorer and other prop-related tasks.

Baldwin, as a co-producer on the film, said he played no role in the decision to hire her. He said he served as a "purely creative producer ... I don't hire anybody in the crew."

"Do you think she was up for the job?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"I assumed because she was there and she was hired she was up for the job," Baldwin said. "I mean, I'm not a producer that hires the crew."

David Bowles, an attorney for Gutierrez Reed, told "Good Morning America" last month that he believes somebody may have "intended to sabotage this set with a live round intentionally placed in a box of dummies." Bowles added that Gutierrez-Reed had no idea where the live bullets came from.

Baldwin said it is hard for him to imagine that being the case, and said he believes it was "overwhelmingly likely that it was an accident."

"That's an enormous charge to make, that someone came and did something, for what purpose? To attack who? To discredit who? To harm me? The production?" he said. "What was their motive in doing that, if somebody did that?"
Responding to criticism and legal exposure
Baldwin has been named in two civil lawsuits, including one that accuses him of "playing Russian roulette" with the firearm by pointing it towards Hutchins.

In "Rust," Baldwin argued, he followed the same protocol he exercised over the course of his 40-year career in film and television, and said he placed faith in the professionals he said were responsible for maintaining a safe set.

"In terms of the handling of the gun, that day I did exactly what I've done every day on that movie," Baldwin said. "The actor's responsibility is to do what the prop armorer tells them to do."

"When that person who was charged with that job handed me the weapon, I trusted them" he continued. "And I never had a problem, ever."

Halls told investigators in a sworn affidavit that Gutierrez-Reed opened the firearm used by Baldwin, but he could only remember seeing "three rounds" and that "he should have checked all of them, but didn't, and couldn't recall if Gutierrez-Reed spun the drum." Halls also told investigators he didn't know there were any live rounds in the firearm he gave to Baldwin, according to the affidavit.

Baldwin maintained that he would never misuse a gun on set. He reiterated that he was only following Hutchins' direction and trusting Halls' "cold gun" instruction.

"I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never," Baldwin said.

"There are some who say you're never supposed to point a gun on anyone on a set no matter what," Stephanopoulos said.

"Unless the person is the cinematographer who's directing me at where to point the gun for her camera angle," Baldwin said. "That's exactly what happened."

Criticism of Baldwin has come from fellow actors, some of whom shared their own protocol using weapons while filming. George Clooney said recently that, "Every single time I'm handed a gun on a set -- every time they had me a gun -- I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I'm pointing it to. We show it to the crew."

Baldwin took issue with Clooney's thinly veiled jab, calling it "misplaced."

"There were a lot of people who felt it necessary to contribute some comment to the situation, which really didn't help the situation at all," he said. "If your protocol is you checking the gun every time, well, good for you. Good for you."

"My protocol was to trust the person that had the job," he continued. "And it worked up until this point."

"What is the actor's responsibility?" Stephanopoulos pressed.

"That's a tough question," Baldwin said. "Because the actor's responsibility going this day forward is very different than it was the day before that ... I did the same thing that day that I did all the other days we were shooting."

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told ABC News that criminal charges regarding the incident were "on the table."

Baldwin downplayed his exposure to criminal charges.

"I've been told by people who are in the know, in terms of even inside the state, that it's highly unlikely that I would be charged with anything criminally," he said.
The personal toll
"Do you feel guilt?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"No. no," Baldwin said. "I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly,"

The incident nonetheless left him scarred, he said, and continues to weigh on him.

"I have dreams about this constantly now," Baldwin said. "I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse."

Hutchins' death has also made him question whether he wants to continue making films, he said, and said he "can't imagine" ever doing a movie with guns in it again.

"I couldn't give a s--- about my career anymore," he said.

"Is it over?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"Well, it could be," Baldwin said.

After the shooting, Baldwin said he had the chance to meet Hutchins' widower, Matthew, and her 9-year-old son.

"I didn't know what to say," Baldwin said. "[Matthew] hugged [me] and he goes, like, 'I suppose you and I are going to go through this together,' he said. And I thought, 'Well, not as much as you are.'"

For Hutchins' family's sake and the sake of his own emotional well-being, Baldwin said he wants answers. He repeatedly alluded to his interest in the criminal investigation underway, saying he eagerly awaits its results.

Until then, he said, all he can do is reflect.

"You said you're not a victim," Stephanopoulos said. "But is this the worst thing that's ever happened to you?

"Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah," Baldwin replied. "Because think back, and I think of what could I have done?"
"Alec Baldwin Unscripted," produced by George Stephanopoulos Productions, airs in a one-hour primetime special event TONIGHT 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC and streams on Hulu later that evening. Next week, a two-hour "20/20" delves into the events ahead of the deadly shooting on the set of "Rust" and the pending investigations into what went wrong, featuring the Baldwin interview and new interviews. "20/20" airs Friday, Dec. 10 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu.

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Alec Baldwin on 'Rust' shooting: 'Someone is ​responsible ... but I know it's not me'

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On the morning of Oct. 21, Alec Baldwin had an epiphany. Sitting in a church pew on the set of "Rust," a low-budget Western film, the star actor observed the hustle-and-bustle around him with a renewed sense of appreciation. A project he loved was finally coming to life - the magic of the cinema felt within reach.