FBI Completes Forensic Report On Alec Baldwin's Rust Shooting Incident

gamerant.com:

The FBI has completed its forensic analysis of the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's film Rust, which took place last year. This is a major step in the investigation and brings prosecutors one step closer to possible charges.

The investigation centers around an incident that took place on October 21, 2021, in which actor Baldwin was handling a prop gun on the set of the western film Rust when it fired, hitting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest and striking director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins was taken by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital and was pronounced dead.

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Two major steps still remain in the investigation before it will be handed off to the Santa Fe District Attorney’s office, where the decision of whether or not to proceed with criminal charges will be made. First, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will review the completed FBI forensic report, which they received on August 2. Second, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office must finish obtaining and processing Baldwin's phone records. Central to the FBI's forensic investigation is the revolver that was fired and the bullets housed on the Rust set. Baldwin claims that he never pulled the trigger of the gun, which would have been a severe act of negligence had he done so. Instead, he alleges that the gun fired on its own, something the assistant director Dave Halls has corroborated.

Also at issue is what kind of rounds were present in the gun. Even firearm blanks used on film sets are highly dangerous and sometimes eject shrapnel that can even be fatal at close range, and both Hutchins and Souza were only two feet away from Baldwin when the gun went