Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
FBI Casts Doubt On Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' Trigger Defense
County and state officials exit the Santa Fe County Public Safety Building in New Mexico ahead of a news conference to update members of the media on the shooting accident on the set of the movie "Rust."
(
Sam Wasson
/
Getty Images
)
Actor Alec Baldwin, who fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust movie set last October, said he didn’t pull the trigger on the gun that killed her. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now casting doubt on Baldwin’s explanation.
In an interview with ABC News late last year, Baldwin suggested the gun discharged on its own. “The trigger wasn’t pulled,” the actor said. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never.”
But the FBI says the gun, which inexplicably was loaded with live ammunition, “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger.” Last week’s FBI analysis was sent to New Mexico authorities.
No criminal charges have yet been filed some 11 months after Baldwin killed Hutchins and wounded the film’s director, Joel Souza.
Support for LAist comes from
A number of competing civil lawsuits have placed blame on Baldwin and several Rust crew members, arguing that the production skirted safety laws.
In February, Hutchins' husband and their 9-year-old son brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, who also served as a producer of Rust. They alleged that Baldwin’s fatal shooting of Hutchins was the tragic consequence of negligence and violating safety rules.
Matthew and Andros Hutchins said Baldwin is largely responsible for killing Hutchins because he didn't follow “basic rules for safe gun handling,” including failing to treat the gun as if it were loaded and failing to aim it away from Hutchins. The civil action says Baldwin violated New Mexico criminal law because he “recklessly caused a deadly weapon to discharge.”
In March, Baldwin said the cinematographer herself ordered Baldwin to aim the gun at her and to pull back its hammer before the gun went off. That account, the most complete he has offered to date, came a month after the Hutchins family sued Baldwin.
New Mexico safety investigators then fined the production in April, saying that Hutchins death was the result of “plain indifference” to gun safety.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist