Alec Baldwin Publicly Speaks Out On Halyna Hutchins' Death, Says It Was A ‘One In A Trillion’ Accident

Alec Baldwin spoke out on camera for the first time since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In a video published on TMZ Saturday, the 63-year-old actor and Hilaria Baldwin spoke with paparazzi in Manchester, Vermont, where his family has been staying since the tragedy, as “courtesy” in order to get them to stop following his family around. He reiterated that he was cooperating with police but could not speak on the active investigation at this time, saying:

“I’m not allowed to make any comments because it’s an ongoing investigation. I’ve been ordered by the Sheriff’s Department in Santa Fe. I can’t answer any questions about the investigation. I can’t. It’s an active investigation in terms of a woman who died, she was my friend. She was my friend. … We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together, and then this horrible event happened. There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode. It’s a one in a trillion event.”

As you know by now, Baldwin had been rehearsing scenes for his upcoming movie Rust when he accidentally discharged a loaded prop gun, leaving Halyna dead and director Joel Souza injured. Reports have since come out revealing several serious safety issues that led to this tragic event. Assistant director Dave Halls, who reportedly has a history of maintaining unsafe work environments, initially told the star the weapon was “cold” or unloaded, after inexperienced armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who also has past safety complaints, placed it on a cart. An affidavit later revealed that the AD admitted to never checking all of the rounds in the gun before handing it off.

Wow…

In the impromptu interview with the press, the 30 Rock alum shared that he was “extremely interested” in limiting the use of firearms on sets in the wake of the fatal shooting:

“But remember, how many bullets have been fired in films and TV shows in the last 75 years. This is America. How many bullets have gone off in movies and on TV sets before? How many, billions in the last 75 years? And nearly all of it without incident. So what has to happen now is, we have to realize that when it does go wrong and it’s this horrible, catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place. Rubber guns, plastic guns, no live — no real armaments on set.”

However, he noted that it’s ultimately “not for me to decide,” saying:

“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.”

This is the first time that Baldwin has publicly spoken about the incident. He previously issued a brief statement on social media, writing:

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred.”

We are continuing to keep everyone affected by this tragedy in our thoughts.

[Image via Ivan Nikolov/WENN, Lu Chau/WENN]