Alec Baldwin Seemingly Maintains His Innocence in ‘Rust’ Shooting With Retweet

Alec Baldwin has shared two articles on Twitter that reported the gun he fired on the set of Rust was not checked properly before it was given to him in a tragic incident that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor retweeted a Variety article on Oct. 23 that reported he was told the gun was safe for prop use by the film’s assistant director before it fired off a live bullet, killing Hutchins and injuring Joel Souza. 

Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she died due to her injuries. Souza was released the following day from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center after being treated for his injuries. Police continue an investigation into how the gun was was used on set and no charges have been filed at this point.

Baldwin didn’t add any commentary to his first tweet but followed it up with a second article retweet Wednesday evening, this time with a report from The New York Times covering an affidavit in which assistant director Dave Halls admits he should have inspected the rounds in each chamber of the gun before more closely before handing it to Baldwin. Just like the first, the second retweet from Baldwin did not include further commentary.

The actor and producer released a statement on the incident the day after Hutchins’ death: “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.” He continued he was “fully cooperating” with police to address how the tragic incident happened and was “in touch” with Hutchins’ husband, “offering my support to him and his family.” Baldwin concluded, “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

Hutchins’ husband Matthew Hutchins told Insider, “I don’t think there are words to communicate the situation. I am not going to be able to comment about the facts or the process of what we’re going through right now, but I appreciate that everyone has been very sympathetic. I think that we will need a little bit of time before we can really encapsulate her life in a way that is easy to communicate.”