Alec Baldwin Addresses 'Rust' Accidental Shooting For First Time On Camera

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Actor Alec Baldwin has addressed an accident in which prop weapon he was using discharged on-set, killing a cinematographer and injuring a director for the first time on camera.

TMZ shared a video of Baldwin -- alongside his wife Hilaria -- addressing paparazzi in Manchester, Vermont -- where his family is currently staying -- about the accidental shooting that killed director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was and injured director, Joel Souza, 48, on October 21.

"I'm not allowed to make any comments because it's an ongoing investigation," Baldwin said via TMZ. "I've been ordered by the Sheriff's Department in Santa Fe. I can't answer any questions about the investigation. I can't."

"It's an active investigation in terms of a woman dying. She was my friend. She was my friend. The day I arrived in Sante Fe and started shooting I took her to dinner with Joel the director...we were a very very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and this horrible event happened.

"Now, I've been told multiple times, 'Don't make any comments about the ongoing investigation,' and I can't. I can't. I can't."

Baldwin confirmed he has met with Hutchins' family since the accident took place and described her husband as being "overwhelmed with grief" following the on-set accident that he said was "a one in a trillion event."

Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead.

Souza was reportedly transported via ambulance to a local hopsital and received emergency care, authorties confirmed.

A witness told Showbiz 411 that Baldwin, 63, was immediately taken to a hospital after the shooting and "had no idea how badly they were hurt or Halyna was dead."

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Baldwin was seen Thursday while speaking on the phone outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

"There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of 'Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks," a spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement obtained by NBC News. "Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority."

No charges have been filed in relation to the shooting, but authorities confirmed it remains under an active investigation.

“We’re treating this as we would any other investigation,” Sheriff's Office spokesman Juan Rios said via NBC News, adding that deputies were still determining whether the shooting was accidental.

Baldwin is one of the film's stars and also serves as a producer.

On Friday (October 29), the armorer for the film Rust said she has "no idea" where live ammunition came from prior to an accidental fatal shooting on-set.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed "is devastated and completely beside herself over the events that have transpired," according to a statement from her attorney obtained by NBC News.

The accident is currently under investigation by authorities in New Mexico, but no charges have been filed as of Friday (October 29) morning.

"Safety is Hannah's number one priority on set. Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced. Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from," the statement from Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys, Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence, stated.

Court documents obtained by NBC News state that assistant director David Halls yelled "cold gun" to indicate the weapon didn't have live rounds as was intended as it was given to Baldwin prior to the accidental shooting.

Halls told authorities he should have checked the gun more thoroughly after noticing a difference in ammunition rounds, admitting that he didn't check each individual round of ammunition before handing it back to Guitierrez-Reed.

The rookie armorer's attorneys said the guns were locked up at night and Gutierrez-Reed attempted to get more training while on the set of the film.

"Hannah was hired on two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer," the statement says. "She fought for training, days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department. The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings."

Earlier this week, a crew member told TheWrap.com that Gutierrez-Reed's "dangerous" gun handling upset actor Nicolas Cage on the set of the western film The Old Way, two months prior to the accidental Rust shooting.

Brumbaugh said the 24-year-old failed to follow basic gun safety protocols, discharged a weapon multiple times on-set without warning, which caused Cage to scream at her and storm off set.

"Make an announcement, you just blew my f*****g eardrums out," Cage said, according to Brumbaugh.

Gutierrez-Reed also reportedly walked onto the set of The Old Way with live rounds of blanks without announcing it to her colleagues, as well as tucking weapons under her armpits, which would then be pointed up at others when she turned her back to them, according to Brumbaugh.

Brumbaugh told Gutierrez-Reed that she should be fired for her actions and the 24-year-old responded by revealing The Old Way was her first film.

An unidentified source, however, contested Brumbaugh's account of Gutierrez-Reed's negligence on the set of The Old Way.

"I have no such recollection of this event on our set. I asked my partners the same," the producer said. "The details on some of these accounts specifically when it pertains to 'The Old Way' have been blown out of proportion."

You can watch the full video on TMZ's website here.


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