Alec Baldwin shooting: Actor gives on-camera interview about tragedy

Actor Alec Baldwin gave a brief on-camera interview Saturday to photographers about the shooting that occurred on the set of “Rust” last week, noting that he could not speak about the investigation.

>> Read more trending news

However, the 63-year-old actor spoke about Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was killed when Baldwin discharged his prop gun on the set in New Mexico on Oct. 21, where the 1880s-style Western was being filmed.

The video, which lasted less than four minutes, was posted on TMZ’s website. Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin, were on a roadside in Vermont, with their young children when the actor asked photographers “what do you want to know?” Variety reported.

“I’m not allowed to make any comments because it’s an ongoing investigation,” Baldwin said in the video. “I’ve been ordered by the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe. I can’t answer any questions about the investigation. I can’t.”

Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded when Baldwin fired a prop gun he believed was safe to use, officials said in a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe, New Mexico, court. The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest and injured Souza, who was standing behind her, in the shoulder, according to The Associated Press and KOAT.

>> Alec Baldwin releases first statement after prop gun incident that killed cinematographer

Baldwin called Hutchins, 42, who died at an Albquerque hospital, “my friend.”

“She was my friend,” Baldwin said in the video. “She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting I took her to dinner with Joel, the director.

“We were a very, very, well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened,” Baldwin said in the video.

>> Who was cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killed by Alec Baldwin’s ‘prop gun’?

Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting, and Baldwin said he could not give any more details about their work.

“Now, I’ve been told, multiple times, not to make any comments about the ongoing investigation,” Baldwin said. “And I can’t.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 40

Photos: Alec Baldwin through the years Here are some memorable photos of actor Alec Baldwin through the years. (Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images)

Baldwin said he met with Hutchins’ husband and her son after the incident but said he “wouldn’t know how to categorize” how it went, Variety reported.

“The guy is overwhelmed with grief,” Baldwin said in the video. “There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one-in-a-trillion episode.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 16

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Russ Backers, a stagehand and welder in IATSE Local 33, lays down his union pin for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a candlelight vigil for her, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Burbank, Calif. A prop firearm discharged last Thursday by actor Alec Baldwin, while producing and starring in a Western movie in Santa Fe, N.M., killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

“So, he is in shock. He has a 9-year-old son, and we’re in constant contact with him. We’re very worried about his family and his kid,” Baldwin said on the video. “As I said, we are eagerly awaiting the (Santa Fe) sheriff’s department telling us what their investigation has yielded.”

>> Alec Baldwin shooting: How can a prop gun, blanks kill?

Baldwin addressed the growing movement for the movie industry to rethink its use of firearms in film and television productions, Variety reported.

>> Alec Baldwin shooting: Brandon Lee’s sister speaks out

“That’s not for me to decide,” Baldwin said in the video. “It’s urgent that you understand I’m not an expert in this field, so whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people’s safety on film sets, I’m all in favor of, and I will cooperate with that in any way that I can.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 11

Photos: Alec Baldwin fired 'prop gun' that killed 'Rust' cinematographer, officials say The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office responds to the scene of a fatal accidental shooting at a Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set near Santa Fe, N.M., on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. Authorities say a cinematographer has been killed and a director injured Thursday after they were shot by a prop firearm on the "Rust" movie set. (Luis Sanchez-Saturno//Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

©2021 Cox Media Group