Police Seize Alec Baldwin’s Phone As Part Of The Rust Shooting Investigation
2 min read
A search warrant was executed on Alec Baldwin’s phone. He was suspected to be involved in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer. The incident happened on the set of the Western movie by the same name on October 7.
Two weeks after a prosecutor who led the investigation warned that some people who handled firearms on the set of Halyna Hutchins’ movie were likely to face criminal charges. The search warrant and accompanying affidavit were filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.
According to the seven-page affidavit, investigators requested access to Baldwin’s Apple iPhone. So they can examine text messages, emails, social network communications, browser activity, and other documents stored on it.
“There may be evidence on the phone, due to individuals using cellular phones during and/or after the commission of a crime(s)” the affidavit read.
The document revealed exchange of several emails and text messages were exchanged during the police interviews regarding Rust.
During a rehearsal on the film set, Baldwin accidentally killed Hutchins while holding a handgun.
A live bullet fired by Baldwin’s revolver shot Hutchins in the chest and killed her during rehearsals as he held the Colt .45 pistol on the set. Filmmaker Joel Souza was also injured.
The affidavit states, “He requested a bigger gun, and she showed him several different styles of knives. Alec showed her a Colt with a brown handle and a cherry handle. Ultimately he selected the one with the brown handle.”
Baldwin stated in his first public interview post-controversy that he had been told that he was unlikely to be charged criminally.
The Fatal Shooting On The Set Of The Alec Baldwin Film
According to the actor, he did not pull the trigger. He denied responsibility for the shooting during a television interview. He also stated then that he had no idea how a live round of golf had made it onto the set of the film.
Under questioning, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, was in charge of weapons on the set. He claimed to have loaded the gun with six “dummy rounds”. According to detective Hancock’s warrant, the gun was loaded before the rehearsal.
Likewise, Gutierrez-Reed said she had trouble inserting the sixth round into the gun’s cylinder. Fitting it only after she “cleaned ‘it’ out,” according to the affidavit.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
