The FBI has concluded that Alec Baldwin must have fired the gun normally on the set of "Rust" -- which took Halyna Hutchins life ... this according to a new report.
ABC News published a bombshell story Friday, claiming to have obtained a copy of the forensic analysis report recently completed by the Bureau ... which was examining all facets of the fatal accident in a broader investigation to see if criminal charges are warranted.
Per ABC, citing part of the FBI report, the feds found that the revolver in question -- a single-action .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta -- could not have been fired without someone pulling the trigger ... a determination they made after conducting accidental discharge testing.
Unclear if they did this testing with the same exact gun Alec used, or a separate but identical one -- but what the FBI notes in their reports is ... that gun, when working properly, will not release a bullet and primer simultaneously by just fiddling with the hammer alone.
Thats what Alec said he was doing when the shooting occurred. Youll recall ... in a sit-down interview with ABC, he claimed all hed done was pull the hammer back and pose it for the camera while Halyna coached him on positioning. When they were done, he released the hammer ... and says it fired without him pulling the trigger. The rest, of course, is history.
Well, that just doesnt make sense to FBI officials. Their report, per ABC, notes they set the hammer at varying angles and positions to see if they could make it fire without pulling the trigger ... but they say they couldnt. The only thing the hammer COULD do when de-cocked and then directly struck on its own (without pulling the trigger) was detonate the primer.
That essentially means it could set off the actual gunshot sound itself, without discharging a bullet, according to the FBI -- but thats obviously not what happened in ABs case.
Now, this conclusion doesnt necessarily mean Alec is in hot water quite yet -- again, we dont know if the testing they did here was with his gun or another ... its totally possible the revolver he used that day did, in fact, malfunction and that hes telling the truth.
These findings have been sent off to law enforcement officials in New Mexico, who are still conducting their investigation dating back to October. One of the things theyre still waiting on, per an official statement from the Santa Fe Sheriffs Office, is phone records from Alec.
Hed said a few months ago that he was cooperating and getting those records over to local law enforcement in New York (so that they could send it over to NM) -- but it sounds like someone might be dragging their feet. Once thats in, the D.A. can have a review once and for all ... with their own findings, the FBIs findings, plus any accompanying documentation.