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A search warrant has been issued for the mobile phone of actor Alec Baldwin related to the investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of his movie “Rust.”
“The cellphone is believed to be in the actor’s possession, according to the warrant, and authorities want to look at text messages sent from the presumed iPhone by Baldwin,” ABC News reported. “Investigators are also seeking to seize photos and videos, emails, internet browser histories, GPS data and more, according to the warrant.”
“We are confident that the evidence will show that Mr. Baldwin is not responsible civilly or criminally for what occurred on October 21, and he continues to cooperate with authorities,” the actor’s attorney, Aaron Dyer, said. “We proactively requested that the authorities obtain a warrant so that we could take steps to protect Mr. Baldwin’s family and personal information that is clearly unrelated to the investigation.”
“A phone contains a person’s entire life, and personal information needs to be protected. While they evaluate the phone information, we hope that the authorities continue to focus on how the live rounds got on the set in the first place,” he said.
The search warrant was approved on Thursday by Judge David A. Segura as investigators want to get a hold of phone records, Internet history, emails, GPS, photos and videos.
Detective Alexandra Hancock said in her affidavit that she asked Baldwin and his attorney for the phone and that she “instructed to acquire a warrant.”
She said she believes that the phone has information that is “material and relevant to this investigation,” and that getting the information “is essential for a full investigation.”
Baldwin had said in an ABC interview that he believed that he would not face criminal charges after he accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, but the district attorney said that may not be the case.
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” the actor said to ABC News host George Stephanopoulos said. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
“I don’t know what happened on that set. I don’t know how that bullet arrived in that gun. I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m all for doing anything that will take us to a place where this is less likely to happen again.”
He said he placed his faith in the professionals he had working on the set, as he shoved them under the bus.
“In terms of the handling of the gun, that day I did exactly what I’ve done every day on that movie,” the 63-year-old said. “The actor’s responsibility is to do what the prop armorer tells them to do.”
“When that person who was charged with that job handed me the weapon, I trusted them” he said. “And I never had a problem, ever.”
But then he made the statement that has ruffled the feathers of some in law enforcement who are working on the case.
“I’ve been told by people who are in the know, in terms of even inside the state, that it’s highly unlikely that I would be charged with anything criminally,” he said.
First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies appeared to respond directly to Baldwin’s interview on Friday when she said to Deadline, “certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions and/or inactions on the set of Rust.”
She said that she plans to “exercise my prosecutorial discretion to its fullest, including filing charges that are supported by probable cause,” Carmack-Altwies also said today that her office is “exploring various legal theories at the time.”
“Everyone involved in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected, and it appears that certain actions and inactions contributed to this outcome,” she said.
“As the First Judicial District Attorney, I have not made a decision to charge or not charge any individuals involved in the shooting that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins and injury of Joel Souza,” she said.
