Gun Expert Has Strong Response To Alec Baldwin's Claims About Rust Shooting
Alec Baldwin is apparently devastated by the accidental shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust," telling George Stephanopoulos that is the "worst thing to ever happen to him." Baldwin sat down with the "Good Morning America" host for his first in-depth interview since the tragedy on December 2. ABC News reported Baldwin briefly broke his silence after the tragedy with a statement the day after the shooting, "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."
The "30 Rock" star had a very brief interview with TMZ days after the tragedy, but the Stephanopoulos sit-down is the first extended interview about the Hutchins shooting. Baldwin told TMZ, "She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe and started shooting, I took her to dinner." Stephanopoulos told his "Good Morning America" cohosts that his talk with Baldwin was the "most intense" interview he has ever conducted. But a gun expert has harsh words for some of Baldwin's latest claims about the shooting.
Expert casts doubt on Alec Baldwin's claim about not pulling the trigger
A gun expert is casting doubt about Alec Baldwin's claim that he did not pull the trigger on the prop gun on the "Rust" shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Bryan W. Carpenter, an armorer for Dark Thirty Film Services, believes Baldwin's claim is highly unlikely.
Carpenter told Fox News that firing a revolver like Baldwin used without pulling the trigger would be "rare." Carpenter said that when using an old west gun, it "doesn't take a lot to set that trigger off. You know, they're very light triggers." Sheriff Adan Mendoza told Fox News, "Guns don't just go off. So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he did that and it was in his hands."
In Baldwin's interview with George Stephanopoulos, the actor said, "The trigger wasn't pulled, I didn't pull the trigger. I wouldn't ever point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them, never." The Daily Mail reported that the assistant director of "Rust" backs up Baldwin's claim that he didn't pull the trigger.