Did Alec Baldwin Pull the Trigger in the 'Rust' Shooting?Home > News > Human InterestSource: Getty Images FBI Investigation Reveals Alec Baldwin Must Have Pulled the Trigger on ' Rust' By Katherine StinsonAug. 14 2022, Updated 1:51 p.m. ET Actor Alec Baldwin claims that he didn't pull the trigger on the set of the film Rust, which led to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. On Oct. 21, 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene in a church on the set of the film and was holding what was supposedly a prop revolver.Article continues below advertisement In an interview with ABC News in December 2021, Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos that he didn't pull the trigger during the fatal rehearsal. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them, never," he said. Naturally, Baldwin's statement has led to many people asking the same question: Is it possible for a gun to fire without the trigger being pulled? Or did he pull the trigger somehow?Source: Instagram Article continues below advertisement Can a gun go off without the trigger being pulled Alec Baldwin believed he was handling a "cold gun" — without live ammunition — when the supposed prop gun fired off one live round during a rehearsal. The bullet struck Rust director, Joel Souza and Halyna Hutchins. Souza survived his injuries, but tragically, Hutchins died from her gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Sante Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who is leading the homicide investigation, told Fox News Digital, "Guns don't just go off... So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he [Baldwin] did that and it was in his hands." Weapons armorer Bryan W. Carpenter reiterated Mendoza's statement in the same report.Article continues below advertisementSource: Getty Images "In order to make it fire, you have to put your thumb up onto the hammer, cock the hammer all the way back, and then as the hammer is completely cocked back, then you pull the trigger and then the gun fires.... That gun had to have [a] two-step process to fire. It had to be cocked and the trigger pulled to fire," he said.Article continues below advertisement Carpenter noted that a prop revolver like the one Baldwin had on set would've likely had a lighter trigger in comparison to modern handguns, making the trigger easier to pull. "Once you cock the hammer back on one of those old west guns, it doesn't take a lot to set that trigger off," he explained.Source: Getty ImagesArticle continues below advertisement The FBI' s investigation into the fatal ' Rust' shooting reveals a trigger had to be pulled The death of Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza are currently under criminal investigation by the FBI. Recently, accidental discharge testing by the FBI revealed that the revolver could not have fired without the trigger being pulled, according to the FBI's report obtained by ABC News. The report states that with the hammer in the quarter- and half-cock positions, the gun "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger." With the hammer fully cocked, the gun "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and functional." Article continues below advertisementSource: Getty Images With the hammer de-cocked on a loaded chamber, the gun was able to detonate a primer "without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly," which is reportedly normal for this type of revolver, the report says. Currently, Hutchins' death has been classified as an accident. The district attorney has not made any charging decisions on the case, and according to ABC News, detectives are awaiting phone records from Baldwin as part of their investigation. AdvertisementMore from Distractify Alec Baldwin's Accidental Discharge of a Prop Gun Resulted in the Death of One Person How Do Prop Guns Actually Work? Why the Alec Baldwin Story Is So Tragic The 'Rust' Movie May Be in Jeopardy After Alec Baldwin's Accidental Prop Gun Shooting Latest Human Interest News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.