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Attorney for 'Rust' assistant director Dave Halls insists Alec Baldwin 'did not pull' trigger on prop gun

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 12/2/21

ABC's Alec Baldwin Unscripted special will air Thursday night beginning at 8 p.m. EST, but the preview shared Wednesday (Dec. 1) showed Baldwin making a key distinction about the Rust tragedy that claimed the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

"The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger," Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos, referring to the prop gun in his hand that somehow fired a live round and killed Hutchins on the indie film's New Mexico set on Oct. 21. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them. Never."

That was corroborated during Good Morning America on Thursday by Lisa Torraco, attorney for Rust assistant director Dave Halls:

EXCLUSIVE: The owner of a prop arsenal that provided guns and ammunition to the “Rust” movie set speaks out. @KayleeHartung reports. https://t.co/QRWfr3VCVd pic.twitter.com/w8F4MnH3xi
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 2, 2021

"[Halls] told me since day one he thought it was a misfire," Torraco said. "And until Alec said that, it was just really hard to believe. But Dave has told me since the very first day I met him that Alec did not pull that trigger."

On Tuesday (Nov. 30), a search warrant was granted "for detectives to seize documents, ammunition and other objects from PDQ Arm & Prop," which is the company that provided the Rust production with prop guns, blank ammunition and "50 dummy rounds," as owner Seth Kenney told GMA in the above segment.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office's investigation is still ongoing.

Alec Baldwin Unscripted marks the 63-year-old actor's first studio interview since Hutchins died. Watch the emotional preview clip below, and learn more about the unfolding events here or here.

Asked by @GStephanopoulos how a real bullet got on the "Rust" set, Alec Baldwin says: “I have no idea. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”

Watch TOMORROW 8pm ET on ABC and stream later on @hulu. https://t.co/fJQly1za1T pic.twitter.com/OnpDuYERiC
— ABC News (@ABC) December 1, 2021