The filming of Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” has been ruled an accident by the New Mexico Medical Examiner’s Office after the completion of an autopsy on filmmaker Halina Hutchins and a review of law enforcement reports from the fatal incident in October. The medical examiner’s report was released Monday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, in addition to FBI records collected from the gun and ammunition used on set after the shooting. It’s unclear if Baldwin will face criminal charges, with his attorneys calling the shooting a “tragic accident.” “The critical report is that of the medical examiner, who concluded that this was a tragic accident. This is the third time that New Mexico authorities have determined that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly unsafe conditions at set, that he was told by security on set that the gun was ‘cold’ and he believed the gun was safe,” Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas told Fox News Digital. A live ammunition round killed cinematographer Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during rehearsal on October 21, 2021. Filming for the Western “Rust” took place on a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, where they were filming inside a small church. “The FBI report is being misrepresented,” Nikas added. “The gun only fired once during testing – without having to pull the trigger – when the hammer was pulled back and the gun broke in two different places. The FBI was unable to fire the gun in any previous tests, even when pulling the trigger, because it was in such bad shape.” FBI MEDICAL REPORT CONCLUDES ALEC BALDWIN PULLED THE TRIGGER ON ‘RUST’ SET: REPORT Alec Baldwin (pictured two weeks before the incident) counters the FBI report from the fatal “Rust” shooting. The Santa Fe medical examiner ruled the incident an accident Monday. (Mark Sagliocco) A spokeswoman for “Rust” armor Hannah Gutierrez Reed told Fox News Digital: “The recently released FBI reports indicate that the revolver was in good condition and that Baldwin should have pulled the trigger to fire the revolver, it comes in the immediate contrary to his earlier statements and those of Assistant Director Halls, through his attorney, who also said Baldwin did not pull the trigger.” “The new complaint by the New Mexico Department of the Environment (OSHA) highlights serious failures by Production on the Rust set that would have prevented this tragic shooting.” Baldwin had told investigators that as the gun went off, he was initially unaware Hutchins was going to die and was shocked to learn he was holding a gun loaded with live ammunition. Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, had said the gun should have been empty for a non-shooting rehearsal. “These new filings demonstrate efforts by various members of the production from the beginning to avoid responsibility and exonerate Hannah, a 24-year-old armorer, for this tragedy,” the statement continued. “Hannah was tasked with doing two jobs, including support assistant and the very important job of gunner, but was not given sufficient time and days of training to do so despite repeated requests or the respect required for the position and responsibilities of the gun-bearer. ALEC BALDWIN SAYS HE DID NOT PULL THE TRIGGER IN ‘RUST’ SINGLE SHOOTING INCIDENT: ‘NEVER’ Alec Baldwin is seen on video rehearsing with an Old West-style revolver before a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” claimed the life of filmmaker Halyna Hutchins in Santa Fe in late October. (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office) “This particularly included Baldwin ignoring Hannah’s requests to do specific cross draw training, which would include not having his finger on the trigger during the cross draw and never pointing the gun at anyone. It is also reiterated that Hannah specifically asked to be called back to the Church if Baldwin was to handle or operate a firearm so that he could perform his duties of inspecting and securing the armor. However, neither Baldwin nor Halls nor anyone else in the production invited Hannah to the Church to perform her duties as armory and complete a final security check before the fatal shooting, which also would have prevented this terrible tragedy.” Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges in the case and are still waiting for Baldwin’s cell phone for testing as of Aug. 3, according to District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies. 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. “I’m very hopeful that when the facts come out, we won’t be held criminally responsible, but it has changed my life. And I don’t mean that in the usual sense that I was involved in something or someone passed,” Baldwin said. during an interview at Boulder International Film Festival on March. “I mean, I was involved in a situation where someone got killed. It changed my life just in terms of how guns work in movies and TV.” 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. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE RECREATION NEWSLETTER Alec Baldwin has claimed he did not pull the trigger of the gun he was holding when cinematographer Halina Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of ‘Rust’. (Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty Images) 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. 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. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The New Mexico Office of Occupational Safety and Health in a scathing report issued in April outlined a narrative of safety failures that violated standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took little or no action to address two failures on set 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Tracy Wright is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to [email protected]
