Alec Baldwin claims Rust shooting cost him five jobs and "years off" his life

Santa Fe, New Mexico - Actor Alec Baldwin claims he has lost five jobs, including one this week, in the aftermath of the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his defunct film Rust in October. He also says the stress he’s endured has "taken years" off his life.

Alec Baldwin wrote on his Instagram this week that "no one has ever maintained, on my part, that a cocked gun just went off without pulling a trigger."
Alec Baldwin wrote on his Instagram this week that "no one has ever maintained, on my part, that a cocked gun just went off without pulling a trigger."  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/alecbaldwininsta

The 64-year-old actor told CNN that ongoing questions about Hutchins’ death prompted him to hire a private investigator to get to the bottom of the "tragic" incident he feels law enforcement will rule accidental.

Hutchins died at age 42 after being struck by a bullet fired from a prop gun Baldwin was holding.

Baldwin insisted there was no reason the gun he was handed on set should have been packed with live ammunition and has passed the blame to props assistant Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls for putting him in the precarious situation that led to the death of Hutchins on a Santa Fe, New Mexico, film set more than nine months ago.

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"There are two people who didn’t do what they were supposed to do," he told CNN.

Baldwin alleges Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of managing weaponry and Halls handed him a loaded gun, without telling anyone it was "hot."

Gutierrez-Reed, in a statement to the Daily News through attorney Jason Bowles, said, "The primary question in this case from the beginning has been where did the live rounds that ended up on the Rust set come from?" and insisted local law enforcement could answer that question by asking the FBI to test ammunition found on set for fingerprints or DNA.

Her lawyer, as well as Lisa Toracco, an attorney for Halls, accused Baldwin of trying to shift blame away from himself.

"Halls is a scapegoat," Torasco claimed.

Alec Baldwin is embroiled in multiple lawsuits over the killing of Halyna Hutchins

Halyna Hutchins was remembered as part of a memorial tribute during the 94th Annual Academy Awards in March.
Halyna Hutchins was remembered as part of a memorial tribute during the 94th Annual Academy Awards in March.  © Neilson Barnard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Baldwin told CNN he doesn’t expect anyone involved in Hutchins’ death will face criminal charges. The incident remains under investigation and Baldwin is embroiled in several lawsuits, both filed against him and that he has filed, over it.

The FBI reported last week that 150 live rounds were located on the set of Rust and that the triggers had to have been pulled. According to the news outlet, Baldwin further wondered if the film’s prop supplier accidentally delivered live ammo to a fake gunfight.

Gutierrez-Reed filed suit against the film’s ammo provider in January, alleging she unwittingly received a batch of bullets containing dummy rounds and real projectiles. Attorneys for that company’s owner admitted their client provided ammunition for the film, but asked a judge to drop the case.

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Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer of the weapon "as far as it could go without cocking the gun. When released, it caused the gun to fire."

He adamantly denies pulling the trigger.

Director Joel Souza was also injured by the bullet that killed Hutchins.

The Emmy-winning star told CNN it was his hope the Western his crew was working on would be released so he could give the cinematographer’s 9-year-old son Andros a financial cushion. Hutchins’ family announced in February they would file a wrongful-death suit against Baldwin, who was also a producer on Rust.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/alecbaldwininsta

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