By David K. Li -
NBC News
Through tears, Alec Baldwin assured that he had not "pulled the trigger" of the pistol that fatally shot the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, whose death shocked all of Hollywood and opened a debate about the relevance of the weapons in the filming.
In an interview with ABC News that will air this Thursday,
Baldwin was puzzled about how the gun was fired
.
"Well, the trigger was not pulled, I did not pull the trigger," he said in a preview of the interview published by ABC News on Wednesday.
"No, no, I would never point a gun at someone and then pull the trigger. Never," he said.
[Alec Baldwin speaks for the first time on camera since the fatal shooting on the set of Rust]
Alec Baldwin during his interview on ABC News, which will air this Thursday, December 2, 2021. Jeff Neira / ABC via Getty Images
According to authorities, Hutchins, 42, was killed, and director Joel Souza, 48, was apparently wounded by a bullet fired by Baldwin on the set of the film
Rust
on October 21, at Bonanza Creek Ranch, County. from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
"I have no idea how it happened," Baldwin told ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.
"Someone put a real bullet in the gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," he added.
[Authorities are trying to determine who put the bullets in the gun Alec Baldwin used on set]
Baldwin said Hutchins was very popular with his peers.
"She was someone that everyone who worked with [her] loved, loved and admired," she said, her voice choked with emotion as she wiped away tears.
“I mean, even now I have a hard time believing that.
It just doesn't seem real to me, ”he said.
Much of the attention has been on the film's assistant director, Dave Halls, who was fired from the film
Freedom's Path
in 2019 after a gun went off unexpectedly on that New Mexico set, injuring a member of the team, according to a producer of that film.
They reveal that before the incident on the set of 'Rust' they did practice with live ammunition
Oct. 26, 202100: 46
Before handing the gun to Baldwin on the set of
Rust,
Hall yelled "
cold gun"
, incorrectly indicating that it was not loaded with live bullets, according to a search warrant.
However, Halls' attorney has said that her client did not give the gun to Baldwin and that it was not his responsibility to verify that it was loaded.
A representative for the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the case, declined to comment on the interview Baldwin gave.
I think back and think, what could I have done? "
Alec baldwin, actor
Baldwin, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor, said he does not know how the tragedy could have occurred.
"I think back and think, what could I have done?" He told ABC News.
The full interview will air Thursday at 8:00 pm ET on ABC.