Alec Baldwin Says He 'Didn't Pull the Trigger' in 'Rust' Shooting

By Daniel S. Levine

Alec Baldwin said he "didn't pull the trigger" on the loaded firearm in the October shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza during the production of the film Rust in October. Baldwin made the comment in a new primetime interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos for a primetime special that will air on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The actor, who also served as producer on the film, said he had "no idea" how a live bullet got into the firearm.

"I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never," Baldwin told Stephanopoulos in a clip ABC News released Wednesday. "Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property." He said he had no reason to believe a live bullet would be in the prop gun. He also spoke about Hutchins, who was 42 and shared a son with her husband, Matthew Hutchins.

"I think back and I think of what could I have done?" Baldwin told Stephanopoulos. "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."

The interview is Baldwin's first sit-down interview since the shooting. "I have done thousands of interviews at ABC News over the last 20 years. This was the most intense that I have ever experienced," Stephanopoulos said during Good Morning America Wednesday. He said Baldwin was "raw" and "very candid" during the interview, and found the actor to be "very forthcoming." The interview will air as Alec Baldwin Unscripted on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and will be available on Hulu later that night. There will also be a two-hour 20/20 episode about the shooting that will air on Friday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m.

The shooting happened on Oct. 21 at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Rust was being filmed. In the latest development in the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office's investigation, a new search warrant showed that investigators may have found where the live bullet came from. Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, the father of Rust's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, told investigators ammunition once in his possession "may match the ammunition found on the set of Rust," according to the warrant, reports ABC News. The warrant allowed investigators to search Seth Kenney's Albuquerque prop house PDQ Arm and Prop LLC, as Kenney was hired to supply the film's guns.

Reed told investigators he worked with Kenney on another project in August and September and Kenney allegedly asked Reed to take live ammunition to a training session so actors could practice at a firing range in case they ran out of supplied ammunition. According to the affidavit, the ammunition was "not factory-made rounds." After that production was over, Kenney took the remaining ammunition back to New Mexico and told Reed to "write it off" when he asked for the ammunition container back, according to the affidavit.

Kenney denied providing the Rust production with live ammunition, through his attorney. His attorney said the affidavit included "material misstatements of fact, particularly with regard to statements ascribed to Mr. Kenney. Reports in other media outlets that Mr. Kenney was part of the crew of Rust or was employed by the production to provide any sort of supervisory services are patently false." The search warrant was served on Tuesday, and it is unknown if investigators seized anything from Kenney's business. No one has been criminally charged in the case as the investigation continues.

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