Alec Baldwin has deleted his Twitter account following his bombshell interview about the Rust shooting tragedy. Baldwin has been at the center of an intense investigation following the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, which took place on the set of the Western Rust. In October, Baldwin was participating in a rehearsal when he discharged a gun he believed to be cold. As was later revealed, the gun actually held a live round, and it fatally struck Hutchins. It also injured director Joel Souza.
Since then, the Rust investigation has been ongoing as people look for accountability. Much of the attention has been placed on assistant director Dave Halls, who didn't properly check all the rounds in the gun Baldwin handled, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. In turn, Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer has suggested sabotage as a motive, though there so far appears to be no evidence in support of that. Filming on Rust has been suspended indefinitely, and Baldwin has stated he doesn't believe it'll ever resume. Just last week, Baldwin gave his first on-camera interview since the tragedy, speaking to ABC's George Stephanopoulos.
Only days following the interview, Baldwin has deleted his Twitter account. As noted by Deadline, the verified account @AlecBaldwin is now listed as nonexistent on the social media site. Baldwin has another account, @AlecBaldwin__, that is still active; so is his Instagram page. This isn't the first time the actor has deactivated his Twitter, and it remains to be seen if he will ever return to it.
Baldwin made some bold statements during his ABC interview, including the assertion that he didn't pull the trigger on the Rust set. He stated he only cocked the hammer, and that was somehow enough to set the gun off. Baldwin also said he isn't to blame for what happened, but believes someone else is. It remains to be seen if criminal charges will be made in the Rust investigation, though with the attention this has received, it's hard to imagine a scenario where someone isn't found to be at fault. Numerous Hollywood stars have commented on the situation and pledged to avoid using real guns on set.
One can assume that potential backlash from the ABC interview led Baldwin to delete his Twitter account. The internet has been divided on this; some place the blame squarely on Baldwin, while others believe he deserves sympathy for this tragic accident. The interview likely only increased the vitriol, especially considering he claimed to have not pulled the trigger. The narrative surrounding what happened on Rust hasn't finished unspooling just yet, and surely there will be more updates to come.
Source: Deadline
