‘She was my friend’: Alec Baldwin speaks about deadly Rust shooting for first time

Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria has blasted the paparazzi as the actor spoke publicly about the shooting of Halyna Hutchins.

Alec Baldwin has spoken publicly for the first time about the accidental fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust, describing the cinematographer as “my friend.”

The actor spoke to paparazzi photographers in Vermont, where he was photographed having lunch with his wife, Hilaria.

Alec Baldwin speaks about the death of Halyna Hutchins.

“There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this,” Baldwin said. “This is a one-in-a-trillion episode, a one-in-a-trillion event.”

One of the paparazzi asked about Baldwin’s meeting with Ms Hutchins’ husband, but couldn’t remember her name while phrasing the question.

That prompted a furious response from Hilaria.

“Halyna, her name is Halyna,” Baldwin’s wife said.

“If you are spending this much time waiting for us you should know her name.”

“You don’t know her name?” said Baldwin, before confirming he had met with Ms Hutchins’ husband Matthew and her nine-year-old son.

“I wouldn’t know how to characterise it. They’re mortified,” he said.

Hilaria Baldwin got fired up during her husband's roadside press conference.

Hilaria Baldwin used her phone to film the remarks, often trying to get her husband to stop talking.

“You guys, you guys, she said. You know what, no details.”

Baldwin then turned to her and said: “Do me a favour, I am going to answer the questions.”

Baldwin, who said he was speaking so photographers would stop following his family, said he had been “ordered” by the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe not to discuss the case.

“A woman died,” he said. “She was my friend, she was my friend. When I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner.”

Baldwin said he was “in constant contact” with Hutchins’ husband and was “very worried” about the family.

“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together when this horrible event happened,” he said.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot dead on the set of Rust. Picture: Instagram

Earlier, Hilaria Baldwin was seen picking up coffee for her husband, following the couple’s night out in a Vermont bar where they were seen having drinks and a meal.

Fox News reported Hilaria was spotted drinking wine while her husband had a non-alcoholic beer.

For her coffee run on Saturday, Hilaria was dressed for cool autumn weather, wearing all black and a hat.

Photos obtained by Fox News showed the Baldwins dining in a bar in Vermont, raising some questions on social media as to whether Alec Baldwin had broken his sobriety following the tragic fatal shooting.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria dine in Vermont as investigation into deadly on-set 'Rust' shooting is underway in New Mexicohttps://t.co/5SPVhYJIUT

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 30, 2021

However, Baldwin appeared to be drinking a non-alcoholic beer called “Rescue Club,” a craft beer made in Burlington, Vermont close to where the Baldwins are visiting.

The actor revealed in his biography that he stopped drinking alcohol in 1985 shortly before turning 27 years old after two years of substance abuse.

The couple shared a kiss after a long day out with their children and were seen ordering plates of food.

According to Fox, the bartender appeared to turn patrons away from the bar area for the night.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria spotted at Vermont bar amid deadly 'Rust' shooting investigationhttps://t.co/V4uplp2aOH

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 30, 2021

The sighting comes as Santa Fe officials continue their investigation into the deadly on-set shooting in New Mexico, which is approximately 3500 kilometres away from the Baldwins’ Vermont respite.

‘RUST’ ARMOURER HAS ‘NO IDEA’ WHERE LIVE ROUNDS CAME FROM

The armourer responsible for weapons on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer has “no idea” why there were live rounds present, her lawyers said on Friday.

The statement is the first public comment from 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed since Halyna Hutchins’ death during the making of 19th-century Western Rust in New Mexico last week.

The live round from a Colt .45 that Baldwin fired during rehearsal passed through Hutchins’ body and struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder.

“Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced,” said the statement from representatives of Gutierrez-Reed.

“Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from.”

Rookie armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on the set of Rust. Picture: Facebook

As the film’s armourer, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for supplying and keeping weapons safe on set, ensuring that they were accounted for at all times and locked away when not in use.

Her comments come after days of reports of safety lapses on set, including claims that crew members had used prop weapons for live-ammunition target practice on the day of the tragedy - a notion Gutierrez-Reed dismissed on Friday.

“Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns and nor would she permit that,” the statement said.

“They were locked up every night and at lunch and there’s no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot by crew members.”

Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed said production constraints made it “extremely difficult” for Gutierrez-Reed to focus on her job as an armourer.

“She fought for training, (for time) to maintain weapons, and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department.

“The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah.”

Now, attention is turning to prop master Sarah Zachry, who is likely to serve as a witness after it was revealed that Zachry was one of four people to handle the gun that was discharged by Baldwin on 21 October, killing Hutchins.

Originally published as ‘She was my friend’: Alec Baldwin speaks about deadly Rust shooting for first time