By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Authorities in New Mexico say the bullet that allegedly killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded film director Joel Souza was recovered from the director’s shoulder and “will be sent to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia for analysis,” Fox News is reporting.
Authorities have identified the gun used by actor/producer Alec Baldwin to fire the fatal shot, as a .45 Colt-caliber revolver, produced by Pietta, an Italian company renowned for its faithful reproductions of single-action revolvers and other “Old West” firearms popular among reenactors and Cowboy Action competitors. That information came during a press briefing Wednesday in Santa Fe.
Three guns were on the set of the movie “Rust,” which Baldwin was in the process of filming when the tragedy occurred.
And Fox News is also reporting that assistant director David Halls “admitted to a safety lapse” according to a “new search warrant.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies in New Mexico’s first district says authorities “haven’t ruled out anything,” meaning that there could be criminal charges.
Fox News chatted with famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who put the burden on Baldwin’s shoulders, noting, “Alec Baldwin is presumably in charge because he’s the producer and has a great voice on the budget here.” He also reportedly observed he “would be shocked if there wasn’t an involuntary manslaughter charge brought in this case.”
The new revelations come a day after one of the nation’s largest grassroots gun rights organizations heaped criticism on Baldwin, who reportedly fired the fatal shot.
“The investigation is still in progress, and there is lots of speculation floating around,” noted Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “What is not speculation is that Baldwin bears responsibility as the film’s producer as well as its star, because he evidently did not personally check the gun he was handling to confirm there was not a live round in the cylinder. He did not follow the first rule of genuine gun safety, which is that all guns are always loaded.”
Baldwin has supported “extreme gun control” in the past, according to a CCRKBA statement, which leaves him open to criticism for not practicing the kind of gun safety he has advocated.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters Wednesday Baldwin “Generally he has been cooperative in this investigation.”
“The actual lead projectile that was fired from the gun has been recovered from the shoulder of Mr. Souza,” the sheriff revealed Wednesday.
But Carmack-Altwies reportedly stated, “He’s obviously the person who fired the weapon. Right now he is an active part of this investigation.”
During the press briefing Wednesday, she told reporters, “If the facts and evidence, and law, support charges, then I will initiate prosecution at that time.”
It still isn’t clear what type of ammunition was in the gun Baldwin was handling, but it has been reported the gun was allegedly used off-set for target practice and “plinking,” which is strictly counter to movie set protocols.
The sheriff said he believes there “was some complacency in this set” in terms of safety.
(See related report from Lee Williams, SAF Investigative Journalism Project.)
