Alec Baldwin’s career and reputation hang in the balance.
His horrific shooting is still creating massive ripple effects.
And shocking images from the film set mean Baldwin is not out of the woods yet.
The shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western Rust continues to be a mystery.
It’s still not quite clear how a live round got in the gun that ended her life and injured director Joel Souza.
Alec Baldwin has attempted to deflect blame every step of the way, but new police bodycam video from the set in the immediate aftermath of the shooting brings into question his account of the incident.
During an interview with ABC News lead correspondent George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin claimed he never even pulled the trigger; the gun randomly went off during a scene rehearsal.
However, in the bodycam footage, Baldwin hardly made any mention of what happened.
If the gun had gone off accidentally, it’s reasonable to think he would be belaboring that point to law enforcement.
In a separate interview with police after he changed out of costume, Baldwin made quick mention of the gun going off.
He also awkwardly asked if the police were prepared to investigate the bullet that hit Souza in the shoulder.
Baldwin failing to drive home the point that he didn’t pull the trigger could be the dog that didn’t bark.
Recently, Baldwin oddly tried to claim that he was exonerated after New Mexico levied the maximum possible fine.
Baldwin said in a prepared statement:
“We are grateful to the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau for investigating this matter. We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds. Additionally, the report recognizes that Mr. Baldwin’s authority on the production was limited to approving script changes and creative casting. Mr. Baldwin had no authority over the matters that were the subject of the Bureau’s findings of violations, and we are pleased that the New Mexico officials have clarified these critical issues. We are confident that the individuals identified in the report will be held accountable for this tragedy.”
However, New Mexico officials did not clear Musk.
In fact, they specifically said that the criminal investigation is ongoing.
Baldwin has been studiously avoiding accepting responsibility for the shooting.
It’s understandable why he would want to clear his name, but he is jumping the gun in tactless ways.
In addition to the premature exoneration note, he retweeted a New York Times article that absolved him of guilt.
The corporate press might not be able to save him this time.
