The fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin last year was an accident, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner has ruled after completing an autopsy and reviewing law enforcement reports. The medical examiner’s report was released Monday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office along with numerous reports from the FBI about the revolver and ammunition collected after the shooting. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges in the case, saying they will review the latest reports and await cellphone data from Baldwin’s attorneys. Baldwin was pointing a gun at filmmaker Halina Hutchins when it exploded on October 21, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. He was inside a small church during the preparation for the filming of a scene. While it’s too early to say how much weight the medical examiner’s report will carry with the district attorney’s office, Baldwin’s legal team suggested it was further evidence that the shooting was “a tragic accident” and that he should not face criminal charges. prosecutions. “This is the third time New Mexico authorities have found that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly dangerous conditions on set, that he was told by security on set that the gun was ‘cold.’ and believed the gun was safe,” attorney Luke Nikas said in a statement. Baldwin told ABC News in December that he was pointing the gun at Hutchins at her behest on the set of the western movie “Rust” when it went off after he cocked it. He said he didn’t pull the trigger. An FBI analysis of the revolver Baldwin had in his hand during the rehearsal showed that it was in working order at the time and would not have discharged unless it had been fully cocked and the trigger pulled. With the hammer fully cocked, the FBI report stated that the gun could not be fired without pulling the trigger, while the functional internals were intact and functional. During the FBI’s testing of the gun, authorities said, parts of the gun’s trigger and barrel stopper broke while the hammer was cocked. This allowed the hammer to drop and the pin to fire the primer. “This was the only successful discharge during this test and was attributed to the fracture of internal components, not the failure of the firearm or safety mechanisms,” the report said. It was unclear from the FBI’s report how many times the swivel’s hammer may have been struck during the test. Baldwin, who also produced the movie “Rust,” has previously said the gun should not have been loaded for rehearsal. Among the ammunition seized from the cinema site were cartridges found in a cart and in the case located in the building where the shooting took place. Empty and dummy cartridges were also found. The New Mexico Office of Occupational Safety and Health in a scathing report issued in April described a narrative of safety failures that violated standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took little or no action to address two set failures before the fatal shooting. The office also recorded gun safety complaints from crew members that went unheeded and said weapons specialists were not allowed to make decisions about additional safety training. In concluding that the shooting was an accident, the New Mexico medical examiner’s office noted “the absence of an apparent intent to cause harm or death” and said there was “no compelling evidence” that the revolver was intentionally loaded with live ammunition. on the set. —— Associated Press writer Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.
