Actor Alec Baldwin‘s cellphone is now an item of interest for authorities in the ongoing investigation of the deadly shooting on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico in October.
A warrant issued by authorities Thursday seeks a seizure and search of Baldwin’s iPhone for any evidence relating to the death investigation of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the woman killed in the aforementioned incident in Santa Fe, according to KOB.
Authorities said they want access to the phone in case it contains material relevant to the investigation. The affidavit states they were “made aware there were several emails and text messages sent and received regarding the movie production Rust in the course of interviews.”
Though investigators previously asked for Baldwin’s phone, they were reportedly “instructed to acquire a warrant.”
Authorities can review all recent calls, photos, GPS data, contacts, emails, and text messages from the warrant issued. Judge David A. Segura approved the warrant Thursday afternoon, ABC News reported.
The Santa Fe district attorney issued a statement saying that possible criminal charges weren’t off the table earlier this month.
Baldwin was reportedly handling the weapon in question when it went off in his hands, but he thought it was a “cold gun,” meaning absent of any live bullets. Despite that, it went off, fatally striking Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her.
The actor conducted his first sit-down first interview on ABC earlier this month, in which he claimed he did not pull the trigger during the incident but instead released the hammer of the gun when he and Hutchins were setting up a scene.
“Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” Baldwin said. “Someone is ​responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
