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.

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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.

Alec Baldwin Gives First On-Camera Comments on Halyna Hutchins Death: ‘She Was My Friend’ https://t.co/mEXWlElecr
— Variety (@Variety) October 30, 2021

“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.”

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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.

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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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Candles flicker during a vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees embrace at a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, pictured in photographs in the background, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees kneel at a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, pictured in photographs, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil A woman lays down a candle during a vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, seen in photographs at top right, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees hold candles during a vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees hold candles at a vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees at a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins look at an image of her at work, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Karin Tucker, who was head of admissions for the American Film Institute when the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was a student there, takes part in a candlelight vigil for Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Lisa Walker, right, joins other attendees at a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil An image of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is projected at top left at 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil Attendees gather in the hundreds for a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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)

Photos: Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer killed on 'Rust' set, mourned at candlelight vigil A man puts up a wreath before a candlelight vigil for the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 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.”

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

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“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.”

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