Last month, Hollywood star Alec Baldwin fired a gun on the set of his movie Rust, accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Now, Alec’s brother Daniel is speaking out to claim that the star’s liberal political views have made him a “target” by the public over this shooting.
One of Alec Baldwin’s famous brothers says it's 'really, really apparent' actor shouldn’t be blamed in fatal 'Rust' shooting
Daniel Baldwin, 61, described his brother as a “target” due to his political viewpoints and big-name status.https://t.co/YxrjwdpOBI
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) November 16, 2021
Daniel Defends Alec
When asked if he thinks his brother is being “attacked” over this shooting, Daniel replied with an emphatic “for sure.”
“You know Alec’s got the name though, doesn’t he? So let’s take go ahead and take Alec him for his political views and the many, many wonderful things he’s done for his charities and people and his wife and let’s see if we can’t sensationalize this,” Daniel said, according to Fox News.
“This is what he faces because he’s opinionated and he’s strong-headed and he has really staunch views on some things,” Daniel added. “And those people who don’t like him will take advantage of him and persecute his wife. There’s so much going on in the world and six months ago we’re talking about whether Hilaria speaks Spanish or not. Let ‘em run with it because six months from now everyone’s going to realize those people are going to jail, they’re going to be sued, and it won’t be him.”
Related: Candace Owens Torches Alec Baldwin – Says His Shooting Is ‘Poetic Justice’
Daniel Plays The Blame Game
Daniel went on to say that he’s “fired more rounds on movie sets” than all of his brothers “combined,” and that he thinks the blame should be placed on the movie’s armorer, who has been named as Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
“The initial buck and all of the responsibility of the weapon fall on the armorer, in my opinion,” Daniel said.
Daniel also thinks that Dave Halls, who has been named as the first assistant director who checked the gun before handing it to Alec, is to blame.
“Rules weren’t followed for sure,” Daniel said. “This guy took that weapon and went on to announce out loud so that everyone on the planet know that the weapon was safe and the weapon was ‘cold.’ Why would you ever make that announcement if you can’t verify that that’s a fact?”
“Now we’ve got someone injured and we’ve got someone who is gone,” he continued. “The mom of a young boy – it’s awful. But by the time it happens, it’s an accident that as far as Alec is concerned I don’t see any responsibility on his part at all. These protocols are set up by these professionals that handle weapons and handle the safety of a set so that it could never come to that.”
Related: Alec Baldwin’s Prop Gun Tragedy Reminds Bruce Lee’s Daughter Of Losing Her Brother On ‘The Crow’
Alec ‘Crushed’ By Hutchins’ Death
Daniel then claimed that Alec is “crushed” by Hutchins’ death.
“He loved this woman. He loves what he does,” he said. “He feels terrible that this horrendous accident has occurred but he bares no responsibility for it at all. This is why they set it up with these pros that handle this stuff so this could never happen.”
Daniel concluded by describing his brother as a “good human being…my friend…my brother,” saying that he would take back this shooting if he could do so.
“He really liked her. He cared for her and her family,” Daniel said. “He spent some time with her family now but you can’t take that back. You can’t take back that someone loaded that gun improperly and it’s very sad. It didn’t have to happen.”
This shooting is still being investigated, with police saying the probe could take months. Prosecutors have said that charges for Alec have not been ruled out, nor have they been ruled out for Gutierrez Reed and Halls.