The New Mexico medical examiner’s office has determined that the fatal shooting of a cinematographer last year by actor Alec Baldwin on a movie set was an accident.
WASHINGTON — A cinematographer in the fatal on-set shooting of actor Alec Baldwin last year, according to a determination made by the New Mexico medical examiner’s office after an autopsy was completed and a review of law enforcement reports. There was an accident.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office released the medical examiner’s report Monday, along with several FBI reports on the revolver and ammunition collected after the shooting.
Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges in the case, saying they will review the latest reports and are waiting for cell phone data from Baldwin’s attorneys.
Baldwin was pointing the gun at cinematographer Halina Hitchens when it went off on October 21, killing Hitchens and wounding director Joel Souza. They were inside a small church while setting up to shoot a scene.
While it’s too early to say how much weight the medical examiner’s report will carry with the district attorney’s office, Baldwin’s legal team suggested it was more evidence that the shooting was “a tragic accident” and that he should be charged criminally. Should not face charges.
“This is the third time New Mexico authorities have found that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly unsafe conditions on the set, that he was told by on-set security that the gun was ‘cold.’ ‘ and believed the gun was safe,’ attorney Luke Nikas said in a statement.
Baldwin said In a December interview with ABC News that he was pointing a gun at Hitchens at his direction on the set of the western film “Zing” when he walked away after cocking her. He said he didn’t pull the trigger.
An FBI analysis of the revolver in Baldwin’s hand during rehearsals suggests that it was in working order and would not discharge unless it was fully cocked. And pull the trigger.
With the hammer in the fully cocked position, the FBI report stated that the gun could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the working internals were intact and functional.
During an examination of the gun by the FBI, officials said, parts of the gun’s trigger sear and cylinder stop broke when the hammer was struck. He let the hammer drop and the firing pin detonated the primer.
“This was the only successful discharge during this testing and was attributed to fracture of internal components, not a failure of the firearm or safety mechanism,” the report said.
It was unclear from the FBI report how many times the revolver’s hammer may have been struck during the test.
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the movie “Rust,” has previously said the gun should not have been loaded for rehearsals.
Ammunition seized from the film location included a cart and live rounds in a holster that was in the building where the shooting took place. Blank and dummy cartridges were also found.
New Mexico Bureau of Occupational Health and Safety A damning report released in April A detailed account of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocol, including testimony that production managers took little or no action to correct two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.
The bureau also documented gun safety complaints from staff members that went unaddressed and said weapons experts were not allowed to make decisions about additional safety training.
In concluding that the shooting was an accident, the New Mexico medical examiner’s office pointed to the “absence of an apparent intent to harm or cause death” and said there was “no show of force.” that the revolver was intentionally loaded with live ammunition; On the set