Alec Baldwin Tearfully Explains How Gun Fired Without Pulling Trigger
Alec Baldwin Explains How Gun Went Off Without Pulling Trigger ... If I Felt Responsible, I May Have Killed Myself
Alec Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and followed her instructions to point the gun at her, not knowing there was live ammunition in the chamber.
Baldwin says he pointed the gun at her as directed ... cocked it and let go of the hammer and that's when the gun went off. He says he never touched the trigger. Assistant Director Dave Halls backed Baldwin up and says Baldwin never had his finger on the trigger.
Baldwin says the only issue for him is how live ammunition got into the chamber of the gun. He says he was told it was an "empty gun" -- meaning only dummy bullets.
When the gun fired and Halyna fell to the ground, Baldwin says he didn't know for 45 minutes to an hour she was hit by a live round. He thought maybe Halyna got hit by wadding typically found in blanks.
Baldwin felt people waited too long to get her to a hospital. A helicopter finally came and took her to a hospital.
The Sheriff eventually told Baldwin Halyna had died. The photos of Baldwin outside on the phone are when he called his wife to tell her what happened.
Baldwin says George Clooney didn't help the situation by commenting that he always checked a gun that he handled on set. Baldwin was clearly annoyed at Clooney. He says he's always relied on the experts -- like the armorer -- on the set that a gun was safe to handle.
Baldwin does not believe the live ammo on the set was an act of sabotage ... something claimed by the lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. He says this was an accident.
Baldwin says he hates that Reed and Halls have been villainized unfairly, he believes.
He also doesn't discount his brother Daniel -- who told TMZ he believed Baldwin was targeted for his political beliefs. He mentions Donald Trump, who went after Baldwin.
Baldwin said he was not a nuts-and-bolts producer who made hiring decisions ... rather, he says he was a "creative producer" -- meaning his role was more about content. This is significant ... given the allegations, Reed was way too inexperienced to be an armorer and Halls had safety issues on previous sets.
He says he was never told by the crew they had safety concerns ... he says the complaints were along the lines of grousing they wanted better hotels.
Baldwin says he's having recurring nightmares and is not sure he wants to make movies anymore. He says it's the worst thing that's ever happened to him. He says he feels sadness and anger, but not guilt. He says if he felt he was responsible he might have killed himself.
