FBI Releases 'Rust' Shooting Forensic Report That Contradicts Alec Baldwin's Claims

An FBI forensic report found that the gun used by actor Alec Baldwin during the fatal shooting on the movie set of "Rust" could only be fired if the trigger was pulled while the gun was cocked.

The findings contradict Baldwin's statements from an ABC News interview in December in which he said he did not pull the trigger. The gun used by Baldwin in October 2021 was meant to be used as a prop. Baldwin had discharged a Pietta .45 Colt revolver, which fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

Baldwin maintained that he believed the weapon was "cold" and therefore did not have ammunition. A later investigation ruled Hutchins' death as an accident.

ABC News first reported the FBI's findings on Friday.

The report noted that with the gun's hammer in the quarter- and half-cock positions, it "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger."

Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas told CNN in an email on Sunday that the FBI report "is being misconstrued" and that the gun was "in poor condition."

The forensic report is part of a criminal investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office into the shooting. The investigation also involves how a live round of ammunition was present on a movie set.