FBI’s ‘Rust’ analysis leaves key questions unresolved

A long-awaited FBI report, including an analysis of the weapon Alec Baldwin fired last October on the New Mexico set of “Rust,” resolved some issues but left untouched key questions surrounding the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The FBI did not draw any conclusions about where live ammunition came from but it concluded that the pistol, a replica of a vintage Pietta Colt .45, “functioned normally when tested in the laboratory.” The report also noted that, in order for the revolver to fire, the trigger needed to be pulled.

The analysis casts doubt on Baldwin’s statements late last year to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he did not pull the trigger.

“With the hammer in the quarter- and half-cock positions, (the revolver) could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger,” the FBI report said. “When enough pressure was applied to the trigger, each of these safety positions were overcome and the hammer fell. This is consistent with normal operation for a single-action revolver of this design.”

But the report seemed to leave open other possibilities. Even when the gun’s hammer was in the “rest” position, the report said, it could have fired “without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly.”

ABC News first reported the results of the ballistics test over the weekend, focusing on Baldwin’s role in the tragedy on the lowbudget movie set. But the actor and film producer’s New York-based attorney, Luke Nikas, said in a subsequent statement that the report’s conclusions were being “misconstrued.”

“The gun fired in testing only one time — without having to pull the trigger — when the hammer was pulled back and the gun broke in two different places,” Nikas said. “The FBI was unable to fire the gun in any prior test, even when pulling the trigger, because it was in such poor condition.”