Alec Baldwin may not have pulled the trigger, says District Attorney

'You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger'

Alec Baldwin may not have pulled the trigger of the gun that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, says the District Attorney. While Alec Baldwin, 63, grapples with the lawsuit issued by the family of Halyna Hutchins, Santa Fe D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies has pointed to another explanation, reports TMZ. [caption id="attachment_318303" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Via Getty[/caption] She told Vanity Fair: "You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it. So you pull it back partway, it doesn't lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet." This echoes previous statements made by Baldwin, specifically in December when he insisted: "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but it's not me. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never." The DA had her investigators perform a test in her office to see if a mechanical malfunction could actually be at fault. Consequently, she believes the hammer of the weapon could've caused the gun to discharge. [caption id="attachment_318304" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Via Getty[/caption] While other experts have already stated that the gun could not have been fired accidentally, Carmack-Altwies is ultimately the one deciding whether charges will be brought forward over criminal negligence. While Carmack-Altwies may not bring forth charges, the family of Hutchins is still suing. The lawsuit reads: "Halyna Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations." Related links:

• Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins is recreated in video
• Alec Baldwin claims he never actually shot gun on Rust set