Alec Baldwin Bullet Sent to FBI Crime Lab, Sheriff Says

New Mexico authorities are asking the FBI to analyze the bullet fired by actor Alec Baldwin that killed a cinematographer on the set of his film last week.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a press conference Wednesday the projectile was one of 600 pieces of evidence collected. There was “complacency” on the set that led to the tragedy, he said.

“It’s still due to be determined by the ballistic analysis by the FBI to crank out exactly what the weight of that bullet is,” Mendoza said. “There’s a lot of testing that needs to be done.”

Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza wounded after Baldwin fired a revolver while making the movie “Rust,” a Western that was being filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe.

Both Mendoza and District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said it was too early to comment on potential charges. Mendoza also stopped short of saying real guns should be banned on movie sets, but said safety issues need to be addressed by the film industry and the state.

“There was a live round on set,” he said. “We suspect that there were others. Why were they there? Because they shouldn’t be there.”

In Los Angeles, Councilmember Paul Koretz introduced a resolution calling for support of any future state legislation that would ban real guns and ammunition from movie and TV show sets. A Change.org petition with a similar goal now has over 63,000 signatures.

Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene in which he was required to cross-draw the gun, according to a request for a search warrant released by the sheriff’s office Wednesday. At least three people may have handled the gun before it was given to Baldwin, the filing said. Assistant director David Halls told investigators he couldn’t remember if he fully checked the gun before the shooting.

Baldwin said in a statement last week that he was cooperating fully with the investigation.

About the photo: Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza speaks during a press conference at the Santa Fe County Public Safety Building on Oct. 27, 2021.