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Alec Baldwin has given over his cellphone to police as part of their investigation into the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of “Rust,” almost a month after a warrant was issued for the device.
During a rehearsal for the Western filming in New Mexico in October, the US actor was holding a Colt gun when it discharged a live round, killing Halyna Hutchins.
Police are investigating why live ammunition was present on set, and they demanded Baldwin’s phone in mid-December, claiming “there may be evidence on the phone” that might be “vital and crucial to this investigation.”
Mr Baldwin’s iPhone was handed over to cops in Suffolk County, New York, where he lives.
A Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office spokesman told AFP that they will collect data from the device and report their results to New Mexico officials.
The data to be extracted from Mr Baldwin’s phone has yet to arrive at the sheriff’s office, according to the spokesman.
Investigators said they wanted to see text messages and emails received to and from Baldwin, who is a producer and actor on the show “Rust,” about the project .
Baldwin exchanged emails with the film’s armourer concerning the type of gun to be used in the scene, according to the search warrant for his phone.
Under an arrangement between Mr. Baldwin and the Santa Fe district attorney, phone conversations with Baldwin’s lawyer and wife will not be released.
According to the sheriff’s office, the phone transfer had been held due to “jurisdictional concerns.”
Over the weekend, Mr Baldwin posted a meandering video in which he said reports that he was not cooperating with the probe were “a fabrication.”
Prosecutors have yet to file criminal charges in connection with the disaster, but they have refused to rule out the possibility of charges being brought against anyone involved, including Mr Baldwin.
Mr Baldwin claims he was informed the gun didn’t have live ammunition, that Hutchins urged him to point it at her, and that he didn’t pull the trigger.
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