Investigators Obtain Search Warrant For Alec Baldwin's Phone In Halyna Hutchins Shooting Case
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Actor Alec Baldwin has been ordered to turn over his phone to detectives in the ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico film set in October.
A Santa Fe Magistrate Court judge Thursday approved a search warrant which requires Baldwin to hand his iPhone over to Santa Fe County Sheriff's investigators.
According to the warrant obtained by CBSLA, sheriff's investigators seek to look at Baldwin's texts, emails, photos, movies, browser history and contacts.
On the afternoon of Oct. 21, on the set of the Western "Rust," just outside Santa Fe, a single live round from a Pietta Colt .45 revolver fired by Baldwin struck and killed the 42-year-old Hutchins and wounded the film's director, 48-year-old Joel Souza.
The 63-year-old Baldwin was inside a church building, sitting on a wooden pew, rehearsing unholstering his prop gun and pointing it at the camera when he fired it, according to a previous search warrant filed by Santa Fe County Sheriff's investigators. Hutchins was hit in the chest and Souza in the shoulder.
Thursday's warrant revealed that, prior to the shooting, Baldwin and the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had emailed back and forth about the type of gun that Baldwin would use in the scene. According to the affidavit, during his interview with detectives on the day of Hutchins' killing, Baldwin disclosed that he exchanged emails with Gutierrez-Reed regarding the type of gun he would use for the scene. He also said he had requested a bigger gun.
"Alec described the gun to be a 'period' Colt," the affidavit reads. "He said there were emails transferred back and forth between Hannah and him where she showed him different styles of guns. He said he requested a bigger gun, and she also showed him different styles of knives for the production. Alec was shown a Colt with a brown handle, and a cherry handle, and he ultimately chose the one with the brown handle."
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The firearm, which authorities confirmed was loaded with a live round, was "handled and/or inspected" by Reed, and assistant director Dave Halls, prior to it being fired by Baldwin.
The gun was only supposed to be loaded with dummy rounds. According to a previous search warrant filed by sheriff's investigators, Halls had handed Baldwin the prop gun and yelled that it was a "cold gun," meaning it was not loaded with live ammunition.
A total of about 500 rounds of ammunition were seized by investigators from the "Rust" movie set following the shooting. They included blanks, dummy rounds and what investigators suspect are other live rounds.