A Sheriff Just Issued A Search Warrant For Alec Baldwin's Phone
The following article contains a mention of suicidal ideation.
When Alec Baldwin first addressed the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust," he told reporters he could not comment on the ongoing investigation. Now, he has discussed his side of the story in a lengthy interview with ABC News' George Stephanopolous — and is speaking out once again in regards to police stating he requested a "bigger gun" on set.
In the emotional interview with ABC, Baldwin claimed that he did not pull the trigger on the gun that fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and that he does not feel guilt about the situation because he knows it wasn't his fault. "I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly," the actor said.
He has also been making posts on social media defending himself. On November 2, he shared a long post from Terese Magpale Davis, a "Rust" crew member, defending the film's producers and the working conditions on the set. On December 9, just before ABC News released a "20/20" special about the shooting called "The Deadly Take," Baldwin shared a letter co-signed by several members of the "Rust" cast and crew. In the letter, the co-signers praised the producers for creating a positive working environment, and claimed safety protocols were followed.
Now, a sheriff has issued a search warrant for Baldwin's phone. And the actor has a response.
Alec Baldwin continues to publicly defend himself
Police in New Mexico issued a search warrant for Alec Baldwin's phone, claiming it may contain information pertinent to the investigation, reports the Daily Mail. Per the warrant, Detective Alexandria Hancock believed the phone may contain evidence to "commission of crime(s)" and wanted to parse the actor's contacts, call records, photos, videos, texts, and emails.
According to the warrant, Baldwin admitted in a police interview to emailing with armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed about the type of gun they should use in the film, ultimately deciding on a Colt .45. The warrant also claimed that Baldwin requested a bigger gun in an email to Gutierrez-Reed, reports Newsweek. Baldwin refuted this claim in a tweet from his private Twitter account, captured by the Daily Mail.
"This, in fact, is a lie," Baldwin wrote, attaching the Newsweek article to his tweet. "The choices regarding any props ... were made weeks before production began. To suggest any changes were made 'before fatal shooting' is false." Baldwin seemed agitated that the headline seemed to imply that he asked for a bigger gun right before the shooting took place, when in fact the conversation presumably occurred before production even began.
The actor's lawyer also responded to the story. "We are confident that the evidence will show that Mr. Baldwin is not responsible civilly or criminally for what occurred on October 21, and he continues to cooperate with authorities," the attorney told Newsweek, further claiming, "We proactively requested that the authorities obtain a warrant so that we could take steps to protect Mr. Baldwin's family and personal information that is clearly unrelated to the investigation."