The FBI has completed its forensic analysis of the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's film Rust, which took place last year. This is a major step in the investigation and brings prosecutors one step closer to possible charges.

The investigation centers around an incident that took place on October 21, 2021, in which actor Baldwin was handling a prop gun on the set of the western film Rust when it fired, hitting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest and striking director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins was taken by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital and was pronounced dead.

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Two major steps still remain in the investigation before it will be handed off to the Santa Fe District Attorney’s office, where the decision of whether or not to proceed with criminal charges will be made. First, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will review the completed FBI forensic report, which they received on August 2. Second, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office must finish obtaining and processing Baldwin's phone records. Central to the FBI's forensic investigation is the revolver that was fired and the bullets housed on the Rust set. Baldwin claims that he never pulled the trigger of the gun, which would have been a severe act of negligence had he done so. Instead, he alleges that the gun fired on its own, something the assistant director Dave Halls has corroborated.

Alec Baldwin Rust

Also at issue is what kind of rounds were present in the gun. Even firearm blanks used on film sets are highly dangerous and sometimes eject shrapnel that can even be fatal at close range, and both Hutchins and Souza were only two feet away from Baldwin when the gun went off. However, a number of anonymous crew members alleged to reporters that some of the guns on set were loaded with live ammunition and used to shoot beer cans earlier that morning. If live ammo was present on set, this would be a damning violation of safety protocols.

Assistant director Dave Halls is the one who handed the gun to Baldwin on the Rust set and declared that it was safe to use, potentially without checking whether it was loaded. He has received several complaints in the past for creating unsafe working conditions on other film sets. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for the maintenance and safety of all on-set firearms, and this was only her second time serving as armorer, the first of which earned her several complaints and caused Nicolas Cage to walk off set when she fired a gun without warning. Baldwin, who of course is the one who allegedly fired the gun, was also the film's producer. Even if he is exonerated for the shooting itself, he may still be held liable as producer for turning a blind eye to the lack of safety precautions put in place by Halls and Gutierrez-Reed.

The FBI's ballistic analysis will hopefully reveal any malfunctions with the revolver that could have caused it to fire on its own and whether the gun had fired blanks or live ammunition. The results of these tests will likely determine who is criminally charged for the tragic death of Hutchins.

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Source: Deadline