Baldwin accidentally shot Halina Hutchins on the set of the western in New Mexico in October 2021 with what he thought was an empty “cold gun” handed to him as he was about to film a scene. The gun fired a bullet that struck and killed Hutchins, 42, and also wounded the film’s director, Joel Souza. After the fatal incident, Baldwin, 64, denied pulling the trigger of the gun and said it had gone off on its own. “The trigger was not pulled,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in a December interview. “I didn’t pull the trigger.” The FBI report, obtained by ABC News, states that random discharge tests determined that the .45 Colt single-action F.lli Pietta revolver would not fire without pulling the trigger. It is unclear whether the FBI examined the exact gun from the accident or an identical one. The researchers who performed the test concluded that with its hammer in the quarter and half cock positions “it could not be fired without pulling the trigger.” The report also stated that with the hammer fully cocked the weapon “could not be fired without the trigger being pulled while the functional internals were intact and functional.” The FBI found that if the gun was loaded with the hammer cocked, it could fire a primer “without pulling the trigger when the hammer was struck directly.” The report is part of the criminal investigation into the shooting, and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office says it has obtained it and other FBI documents related to it. Hutchins’ death was ruled an accident, according to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report. “Death was caused by a gunshot wound to the chest. A review of available law enforcement reports did not show compelling evidence that the firearm was intentionally loaded with live ammunition on set,” the report said, according to ABC News. “Based on all available information, including the absence of obvious intent to cause harm or death, the manner of death is best classified as an accident.” No decision has yet been made by prosecutors on whether Baldwin or anyone else will face criminal charges, as detectives were still waiting for phone records from Baldwin.
