- Alec Baldwin said he feared for his safety after Donald Trump suggested he shot Rust crew members on purpose.
- Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchin and injuring another.
Alec Baldwin said he feared for his safety after former President Donald Trump baselessly suggested the actor shot crew members on purpose.
Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of the movie "Rust" in October, leading to the death of the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring the director, Joel Souza.
The actor told CNN that Trump's public statements caused him stress that has "taken years off my life."
"The former president of the United States said 'he probably shot her on purpose.' To me, it was really the only time [...] that I was worried about what was going to happen," Baldwin said.
"Because here was Trump who instructed people to commit acts of violence, and he was pointing the finger at me and saying I was responsible for the death."
Following the shooting, Trump weighed in by calling Baldwin a "troubled guy" and "nutjob" and said: "In my opinion, he had something to do with it."
Trump and Baldwin have long been at odds after the actor famously impersonated him on Saturday Night Live.
While speaking to CNN, Baldwin placed responsibility for the incident with Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer and props assistant on the film, and assistant director Dave Halls, who gave him the gun.
"Someone put a live bullet in the gun who should have known better," Baldwin said. "That was [Gutierrez Reed's] job."
Baldwin told the outlet that he did not believe he or anyone else would be charged over a "tragic" accident.
The actor has insisted that he never pulled the gun trigger, but his claims were recently countered by an FBI report to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which said the gun could not be fired without pulling the trigger.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office investigation into the shooting is ongoing and will determine whether to pursue charges, CNN reported.