Gun expert casts doubt on Alec Baldwin’s claim he did NOT pull the trigger on set of ‘Rust’

Alec Baldwin claimed that he had not pulled the trigger while filming Rust. A gun expert and sheriff are skeptical. 

In an interview that aired Thursday night on George Stephanopoulos, the actor said, “The trigger was not pulled. I didn’t pull it.” He often had to stop to breathe as he spoke about Halyna Hutchins’ death. 

“I would never point any gun at anyone or pull a trigger on them. 

Bryan W. Carpenter (a weapon armorer for Dark Thirty Film Services) said that it is extremely unlikely. 

Carpenter explained to Fox News that to set the gun ablaze, one must first place your thumb on the hammer and then cock it all the way back. Once the hammer has cocked completely back, the trigger is pulled and the gun lights. This is very important, because the gun must have a two-step process in order to light. The trigger had to be pulled and it had to be cocked. 

Carpenter said, “Once you have cocked the hammer back on an old west gun, it doesn’t take much to get that trigger off.”

He made these comments after Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Medoza stated to the outlet that guns don’t simply go off. You will need to do whatever it takes to control the firearm. [Baldwin]He did this and the item was his. 

Seth Kenney (the owner of the prop guns that supplied the film with ammo and guns) said that they provided just 50 dummy shots and some other items to the movie. 

Alec Baldwin denies pulling the trigger on that gun that fired the fatal shot at Rust director Halyna Utchins

Bryan W. Carpenter (Dark Thirty Film), a weapon expert, has concerns about Baldwin’s claims.

Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Medoza explained that firearms do not just fire. It is necessary to make the firearm work. [Baldwin]He did it and the result was in his possession’

Hutchins died October 21 from after Baldwin claimed he picked up the gun and it went off

GMA was told by him that the bullet that killed Hutchins didn’t match those sent by his company, PDQ to the film.

He stated, “They discovered four rounds that were just right to share with us.” Although they are not matches, the rounds were very close. The live rounds found on Rust have something special, but it’s up to the FBI to finish their job. 

According to an affidavit by the Sante Fe County Sheriff’s Office, detectives are looking into whether Kenney (a 51-year old Hollywood veteran) may have sent recycled bullets to the film. 

They are continuing to investigate Hutchins’ murder and haven’t filed criminal charges. 

Lisa Tarraco, attorney for Assistant Director Dave Halls – who along with Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed are the focus of Mendoza’s investigation –  says she was told by her client that Baldwin did not pull the trigger.

Torraco stated that Dave has always told him since I first met him, that Alec didn’t pull the trigger. “His finger never went in the trigger guard. 

She stated that she would be shocked if her client was charged with the incident. 

Lisa Tarraco is the attorney for Assistant Director Dave Halls. She claims that her client told her Baldwin didn’t pull the trigger

Torraco stated that Dave (pictured) told him since I first met him that Alec didn’t pull the trigger. His finger never went in the trigger guard.

Baldwin wept while describing how he accidentally shot dead his cinematographer at the film set of Rust, during an interview for Stephanopoulos.

Halyna Hutchins was killed when he grabbed the gun.

“I reflect back on my life, and I wonder: What could I have done?” Baldwin said in a teaser of the interview that’s set to air tomorrow.

Although he insists he did not pull the trigger, a witness said that it seemed to fire inexplicably on its own. 

The reason the gun was loaded with a bullet is not known. 

Baldwin claimed that somebody put a gun in it – something Baldwin didn’t mean for. 

Alec Baldwin wept while describing how he accidentally shot dead his cinematographer at the film set of Rust, during an interview for ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. 

The actor denies firing the bullet in a teaser clip of his interview, which will air at 8 pm on Thursday. He said that the gun mysteriously went off when he grabbed it.

It was revealed earlier today that the bullet that killed Hutchins, may have been a homemade bullet that a New Mexico armorer supplied from a previous film where  makeshift ammunition was used to train actors at a firing range. 

Baldwin made his Twitter account private just minutes before the ABC interview.  

Baldwin spoke lovingly about Hutchins during the interview. He said: “She was somebody who was loved and liked by all who worked with her – and who everyone admired.

“Even though I believe this, it is hard to believe. It just does not seem real to my mind.” 

Baldwin responded “Yes.” when asked about the most terrible thing that had ever happened to his life. Yes, yes.’ 

Hilaria, Hilaria’s wife, shared the pain and suffering that the tragedy has caused on Instagram. Following the shooting accident, the mother-of-6 revealed that it was difficult for her to talk with her six children.

Stephanopoulos stated that Baldwin talked to him about the entire shooting day.

Stephanopoulos stated that the interview with actor took him an hour and a half to complete. 

“He answered each question. He spoke about Halyna and talked about her family. 

‘[He]We went over in detail everything that happened during the shoot. 

Investigators are continuing to investigate the shooting. They believe that an ammunition made from a New Mexico armer might have found its way onto Baldwin’s set.

Steve Wolf, a weapons expert, told TMZ the trigger on Baldwin’s gun could activate at very slight pressure.

He said that even tensing on a single-action gun is sufficient to release it. “He’s not saying he intends to shoot it, but this happens.

“These guns are very easy to fire and can sometimes be accidentally fired, but they won’t go off on their own.”  

New Mexico investigators have been granted permission to search armorer Kenney’s business PDQ Arm & Prop, LLC, an ammunition store in an Albuquerque strip mall, to determine if the bullet that killed Hutchins matches any Kenney has in stock, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Baldwin speaks on the  phone in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on October 21 after he was questioned about the shooting

Halyna Hutchins, Rust Cinematographer (center), was shot and killed by Baldwin at a New Mexico rehearsal on October 21, 2018.

Hilaria Baldwin says she had heart-wrenching conversations about Alec Rust’s shooting with her children 

It’s been a difficult month: Since Alec shot and killed Hutchins while filming the Western on October 21, Baldwin has maintained a low profile.

The warrant says Kenney contacted authorities late in the month to tell them that the live ammunition on the set might have been manufactured from ‘handmade reloaded shots’ that he obtained years ago from a close friend. KOAT 7 also reported that he was the father of Rust’s rookie armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed. 

Kenney stated that the ammunition was’stuck to him’ due to the suspect live round having a cartridge with Starline Brass logo, according to the affidavit.

Gutierrez Reed claimed that ammunition for the ‘Rust’ was obtained from many sources, including Kenney. However, other crew members recognized a man who they called ‘Billy Ray’. There is no further information about Billy Ray’s identity. 

Gutierrez Reed’s father Thell Reed was a respected Hollywood weapon expert and told a detective that Kenney had trained the actors on a firing range.

Reed claimed Kenney instructed him to carry live.45 caliber Colt ammunition, in case there were no dummy rounds. Reed also brought an “ammocan” with 200-300 rounds. Some of these were not factory-made.

Kenney brought the ammo container back to New Mexico. Reed tried to retrieve the ammunition, but Kenney said that he would not return it. Reed explained to Reed that Kenney had told Reed to “write it off.” Kenney made this comment without providing any further details. 

According to the affidavit, ‘Thell’ stated that this ammunition could match the ammunition on the set of Rust.

Gutierrez Reed said that all guns had been checked before they were set but didn’t inspect the Baldwin’s gun on the 21st of October because the safe was locked during lunch. The gun had been locked in a safe during lunch hours, which she said caused her difficulty loading it.

“Hannah said there was one round that would not go in so she went to lunch and took out the cleaner. She cleaned it out and then put in another round, which made the weapon total of six,” Sheriff’s Detective Alexandria Hancock stated in the affidavit.

Gutierrez Reed’s lawyer stated previously that Gutierrez Reed was mistaken to believe any rounds were live, as live ammunition is not permitted on set. 

Hannah Gutierrez Reed prepared the film’s gun and it was fired in Baldwin’s hand as it was pointed at Hutchins.

The crew had just entered a church in order to rehearsal a scene. She was captured moments later.

Several former crew members spoke out in the weeks that followed the shooting about the unsafe working environment.

Mamie Mitchell, the script director, announced her tears of dismay that she was going to sue Baldwin. He fired the gun, without having checked it before he did so.

22 defendants are named in the suit, which names Baldwin, Rust Producers, Six Production Companies – El Dorado Pictures, Thomasville Pictures, Short Porch Pictures, Brittany House Pictures, 3rd Shift Media, Streamline Global, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and First Assistant Director David Halls.

Mitchell was a veteran of the industry for 40 years and stood close to Hutchins at the time that Baldwin shot a bullet. It then killed Mitchell and injured Joel Souza. 

Gloria Allred and Mamie Mitchell, the attorney, presented their lawsuit about the shooting. It includes allegations of assault, deliberate infliction and distress and intentional infliction and harm.

This suit alleges assault and intentional infliction emotional distress. The suit also claims that there was no need to fire a gun during the shooting.

“I ran to 911, and I said: “Bring everyone, send everybody Mitchell,” during a press conference. “This woman was gone in the early stages of her career. She was an exceptional, rare and very rare woman.

Serge Svetnoy (the head electrician) held Hutchins as she died in his arms. Baldwin, Gutierrez­Reed and David Halls were also sued over “severe emotional distress” following the fatal shooting. Halls revealed that Baldwin did not fire the gun at the scene. 

Serge Svetnoy, the Rust movie sets’ head electrician (left), held the dying Hutchins in his arms and sued Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, the rookie armorer Gutierrez–Reed, and Halls for’severe emotion distress’ following the shooting.

Luper Lane has criticized the film’s production as one that created the perfect storm for the tragic shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Svetnoy brought the lawsuit against three of the crew members, as well as other unnamed individuals. He claimed their negligence caused the shooting and that it left him feeling emotional distress.

Svetnoy, in court papers, claimed the bullet that struck Joel Souza, 48 (director), killed Hutchins, as well, according to TMZ.

He claimed that Halyna’s bleeding was so severe that she needed to be treated immediately and that he tried his best to keep her awake.

He stated to TMZ, that he is suing Baldwin because he owed a duty the Plaintiff and all crew members and actors of the Rust’ set to manage the Colt Revolver supplied to him from Defendant HALS with reasonable care for safety of the Rust’ cast and crew.

Lane Luper served as A-camera’s first assistant and said he quit the movie one day before it was fatally shot. Employees were overworked, COVID safety wasn’t being strictly enforced, and gun safety was inadequate.

Rust said, “I believe it was Rust’s perfect storm: the assistant director and the armorer; the culture on the set, the rush. He said that it was all, and Good Morning America told him about the circumstances leading to the shooting.

“It was not just one person. All of the pieces had to be in place to make this happen.

Luper in his letter de resignation stated that two gunshots were accidentally fired on the set, and one sound-effects blast was heard around the crew.

There were NO instructions on what they should be expecting for the shots. Luper explained in the letter that production staff are often asked the same questions about their lack of time or if they rehearse.

He said that crew members became exhausted from long commutes to and from work, as well as the two-hour drive back home.

Luper explained that she’s never been a camera assistant who cares as little about the safety of their crew in her 10 years.

Sky News was contacted by a representative of the producers to refute his assertions. He stated: “Mr. Luper’s claims about safety and budget are clearly false. This is not surprising given that his job as a camera operator was all about safety and budgets.

“As long as we cooperate in all investigations, it is limited what we can tell you,” the spokesperson stated. Safety is our number one priority.

Baldwin’s claims that he didn’t trigger the gun were questioned by some users of social media.

“The trigger mechanism of any firearm will not fire if it is pulled, or the trigger is squeezed hard with older guns. I.E. One user tweeted, “I.E. dropped, banged heavy.” “Do you really believe that people can believe what your stupidity?

One person tweeted, “Good grief his acting is horrible.” The shooter must either first cock the handgun in Western style or don’t. This weapon was pulled the trigger. But it wasn’t dropped.

“@AlecBaldwin held it in his arms and killed Halyna, and injured another. Man up, already.’

Hilaria Baldwin: “There’s no guide” Hilaria Baldwin admits that she had difficult conversations with her kids about Alec Rust shootings

Hilaria Baldwin said that her heart was broken after Alec killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Houtchins.

A candid blog post by the 37-year-old mother of six describes how difficult it was for her to talk about recent events and share with her family, “tremendous sadness” and “heartbreak”.

Hilaria credits The Child Mind Institute as well as a book entitled It’s okay not to be Okay for helping her understand Alec’s role in the tragedy.

Tough: The mother-of-six penned a candid post detailing how she’s struggled to discuss the ‘tremendous sadness and heartbreak’ of recent events with her family

Hilaria shared a photo to Instagram Stories and wrote, “I had to have some discussions, explaining recent events my oldest children.

“You can only imagine the heartbreaking experience. Thank you to The Child Mind Institute for your guidance. Anne, who is my best friend, was a great inspiration to me. 

“Sometimes I freeze. I know I am the adult who has to guide my family but I don’t know where the right way is.

There is no instruction manual that we have been given. Sometimes, I find myself surprised to realize that I am in an adult role and wonder if I should know how to proceed.? 

Important: Hilaria then shared a snap of the book she’d used to help explain to her children about Alec’s recent tragedy

She said, “All of these helped me to explain my tremendous sadness and heartbreak for my children.”

“You do not know the impact of all your support, love and kindness. This is you, dear readers. It is a blessing to have you.

Hilaria also shared an image of the book she used to tell her kids about Alec’s latest tragedy.

She and Alec are parents to Carmen, age eight, Rafael, six, Leonardo, four, Romeo, three, Eduardo ‘Edu’, 14 months, and María, eight months