Weapons & Guns

Alec Baldwin's claim he's not responsible for Halyna Hutchins' death is not echoed by the woman leading the "Rust" shooting investigation -- instead, she says Baldwin, and several others, could still be charged for their roles in the tragedy.

During his sit-down with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin said he didn't feel guilt over what went down. As he put it, "Someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Well, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies isn't ready to clear his name, criminally, just yet. She tells TMZ ... "Everyone involved in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected, and it appears that certain actions and inactions contributed to this outcome."

Her Office, along with the Sheriff's Dept., hasn't completed their probe yet ... and she's making it clear no decisions have been made about exactly who could be charged. She says, "Once I have had the opportunity to review the complete investigation, certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions and/or inactions on the set of Rust."

And, there's this ... Baldwin's explanation for how he fired the fatal shot isn't holding water with weapons expert Steve Wolf, who says the "no trigger" theory IS possible -- but there were several other mistakes made on the set.

Steve's been working with munitions and props for TV and film for decades, so he was particularly interested in Baldwin's claim that the replica antique revolver he was holding fired without him pulling the trigger.

Steve was on Friday's "TMZ Live" when he held up a similar handgun and demonstrated exactly what Baldwin described. He pulled back the hammer on the weapon, but unlike Alec claimed ... Steve says it's just not possible for the hammer to strike and fire a bullet without the trigger getting engaged. Not normally, anyway.

He admitted there are 2 possible exceptions -- first, there could have been a mechanical flaw ... and the other possibility has to do with how the weapon was manufactured.

The Colt .45 Baldwin was using is a replica of an 1873 revolver, and it could have been made without a safety feature that is standard on such weapons now, but wasn't back in the 19th century.

Oxford High football player Tate Myre -- who died heroically attempting to stop the tragic school shooting -- will be remembered when #2 Michigan takes the field in the Big Ten Championship this weekend ... with the team wearing a jersey patch in his honor.

Michigan made the announcement on Thursday ... saying, "Our uniforms will feature a special logo during Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game."

Myre's initials and jersey number will be featured on the patch ... as well as a heart for each of the four victims of the tragedy.

"The shape is of Oxford's 'Block O', meant to honor all victims, survivors, and community members," the team added.

"I was told that everybody in that school was running one way, and Tate was running the other way," Myre's football and wrestling coach Ross Wingert told the Detroit Free Press.

"I know Tate chose to do what he thought was right and he made the ultimate sacrifice."

The 16-year-old had interest in playing at the next level -- just days before the tragedy, Myre was at the University of Toledo football game as a potential recruit.

There's currently a petition to rename the Oxford football stadium in his name, which has reached over 202,000 signatures.

"We are proud to represent that state of Michigan and all of its communities," the team said.

Oxford H.S. is an hour north of UM. The Wolverines will face #15 Iowa in Indianapolis on Saturday for the Big Ten title.

Alec Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and followed her instructions to point the gun at her, not knowing there was live ammunition in the chamber.

Baldwin says he pointed the gun at her as directed ... cocked it and let go of the hammer and that's when the gun went off. He says he never touched the trigger. Assistant Director Dave Halls backed Baldwin up and says Baldwin never had his finger on the trigger.

Baldwin says the only issue for him is how live ammunition got into the chamber of the gun. He says he was told it was an "empty gun" -- meaning only dummy bullets.

When the gun fired and Halyna fell to the ground, Baldwin says he didn't know for 45 minutes to an hour she was hit by a live round. He thought maybe Halyna got hit by wadding typically found in blanks.

Baldwin felt people waited too long to get her to a hospital. A helicopter finally came and took her to a hospital.

The Sheriff eventually told Baldwin Halyna had died. The photos of Baldwin outside on the phone are when he called his wife to tell her what happened.

Baldwin says George Clooney didn't help the situation by commenting that he always checked a gun that he handled on set. Baldwin was clearly annoyed at Clooney. He says he's always relied on the experts -- like the armorer -- on the set that a gun was safe to handle.

Baldwin does not believe the live ammo on the set was an act of sabotage ... something claimed by the lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. He says this was an accident.

Baldwin says he hates that Reed and Halls have been villainized unfairly, he believes.

He also doesn't discount his brother Daniel -- who told TMZ he believed Baldwin was targeted for his political beliefs. He mentions Donald Trump, who went after Baldwin.

Baldwin said he was not a nuts-and-bolts producer who made hiring decisions ... rather, he says he was a "creative producer" -- meaning his role was more about content. This is significant ... given the allegations, Reed was way too inexperienced to be an armorer and Halls had safety issues on previous sets.

He says he was never told by the crew they had safety concerns ... he says the complaints were along the lines of grousing they wanted better hotels.

Billy Dee Williams thinks America is in one of its darkest periods ever ... referencing the latest act of violence against his dear friends.

We got Billy Dee Thursday in WeHo and asked about the murder this week of Jacqueline Avant, wife of music legend Clarence Avant.

Billy Dee is clearly upset, saying, "There's a dark energy that's permeating our lives right now.  I call it Lucifer."

The legendary actor seems to think this is a tipping point, wondering what's going on in America with all the violence and insanity?"

Billy Dee is fatalistic about his own safety in a city -- Los Angeles -- that is becoming treacherous on so many levels.

The man who allegedly killed Jacqueline Avant was caught in a backyard roughly an hour after shooting the 81-year-old ... and video shows him handcuffed to a wheelchair after being taken into custody.

According to cops, Aariel Maynor traveled from Beverly Hills to the Hollywood Hills after his attack on the Avant home. He attempted to break into another home in the Hills, and in the process somehow shot himself in the foot with an AR-15.

You can see in new video, Maynor was tended to by paramedics, and handcuffed to a wheelchair while he was loaded into an ambulance. Maynor appears to be quite chatty with first responders, though it's unclear exactly what he was saying.

His right foot -- presumably the one he shot -- is bandaged.

TMZ broke the story, Maynor was arrested in connection to Avant's case ... cops say neighborhood surveillance helped them connect him from the crime in Hollywood to the murder at the Avant home.

A suspect has been taken into custody in the shooting death of music legend Clarence Avant's wife, Jacqueline ... TMZ has learned.

Family sources with direct knowledge tell us a man has been arrested in connection to the murder.

TMZ broke the story, 81-year-old Jackie was shot and killed inside the couple's Trousdale Estates home in Beverly Hills Wednesday morning. At the time, we were told at least one suspect made it into the home. A smashed glass door appeared to be the point of entry.

What's more ... a private security guard for the Avant's was on duty, and was shot at, but was not struck and did not return fire. It's not known if the guard was armed.

Clarence was not injured during the attack..

During a press conference Wednesday, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook shared a message from the family, but wouldn't share details on the investigation or who was involved.

Among tributes to Jacqueline was one from former President Bill Clinton, who said, "Jackie Avant was a wonderful woman, a great partner to Clarence and mother to Alex and Nicole, an active citizen & a dear friend to Hillary and me for 30 years. She inspired admiration, respect & affection in everyone who knew her. We are heartbroken. She will be deeply missed."

The lawyer for the assistant director on "Rust" is backing Alec Baldwin's claim he did not pull the trigger on the gun that caused the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Lisa Torraco appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday and actually went a step further, saying her client told her from day 1 not only did Baldwin not pull the trigger, he didn't even have his finger on the trigger.

Torraco said, “...that the entire time Baldwin had his finger outside the trigger guard, parallel to the barrel, and that he told me since day one he thought it was a misfire. I know, and until Alec said that, it was just really hard to believe, but Dave has told me since the very first day I met him that Alec did not pull that trigger.”

For starters, the word "misfire" is being used improperly. A misfire is when you pull the trigger and nothing happens because there's something wrong with the ammo.

The core issue, however -- can a gun discharge a bullet when someone does not pull the trigger? Weapons expert Steve Wolf tells TMZ, yes, if someone drops a loaded gun the inertia of the trigger hitting the ground could cause enough movement for the gun to discharge.

But, Wolf is clear ... if someone is holding a gun, he says it will not fire without the user pulling the trigger. He says some of these weapons have "very light trigger action" ... meaning a gentle tap could cause a discharge. But, he says there can't be a discharge without some trigger movement.

Evander Kane's estranged wife released a video on Wednesday showing the NHL star pointing a gun at her -- but the hockey player says the whole thing is not what it appears to be.

Anna Kane -- who's in the middle of an extremely contentious divorce with Evander -- posted the footage on her social media page ... saying it showed the 30-year-old with a "loaded" firearm.

In the clip, Evander -- wearing a white button-down shirt -- can be seen walking into a garage with the gun, before he eventually raised it in the air and then pointed it in Anna's direction.

"Pointing a loaded gun at me," Anna said in the caption on the video, adding, "Psycho path."

Evander's attorneys, though, say the vid is "intentionally taken out of context" -- and claim it's all another "tactic" by Anna "to defame Evander in the public eye."

"She posted videos, taken intentionally out of context, from a professional photo shoot both parties participated in back in 2020," Evander's attorneys said in a statement to TMZ Sports.

"Her conduct, unfortunately, is consistent with her prior actions throughout this [divorce] case. Each time, we hope it will be the last. Each time, we strive to keep the peace and put the best foot forward. Each time, Evander is exonerated and Ms. Kane's allegations are unsubstantiated."

The attorneys continued, "Evander continues to hope Ms. Kane gets the help she needs, and requests privacy for everyone involved."

As we previously reported, Anna filed for divorce from Evander in July -- and the two have been combative ever since, accusing each other in court documents of heinous things.

Evander said Anna beat him multiple times and faked a pregnancy for months. Anna, meanwhile, claimed Evander sexually assaulted her, hit her on multiple occasions, and bet on his own NHL games.

Jonshel Alexander, the former child actor who co-starred in the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” is dead after a shooting in her native Louisiana.

Jonshel -- who was 12 when she got the role in the 2012 film -- was sitting in a vehicle with a man last Saturday in New Orleans when someone opened fire on them. Jonshel was pronounced dead on the scene, her friend survived and went to a hospital for treatment.

Police have released a photo of a person of interest -- a Black male wearing a ski mask -- and are asking the public for help identifying and locating him.

Jonshel played Joy Strong in 'Beasts' ... a drama filmed in Louisiana about a struggling bayou community, which also had then-6-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis in the lead role. The movie got 4 Oscar noms, including Best Picture, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Director Benh Zeitlin has said he pretty much created the role of Joy specifically for Jonshel. As he put it, “A lot of the lines were written by her, and so much of the character grew out of who Jonshel was. Her character in the film is named Joy Strong, which always seemed like a perfect description of Jonshel. She was a really bright burning light.”

'Beasts' was her only acting role. After graduating high school, Jonshel worked as a hostess in restaurants and had a daughter ... according to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.

Jonshel was 22.

Neighbors of Clarence and Jacqueline Avant have been alarmed by the crime wave in Beverly Hills and L.A. ... so much so they hired armed guards before Wednesday's fatal home invasion.

Residents in Trousdale Estate tell us just last week a bunch of neighbors got together and hired a private security firm. Law enforcement tells us there has been a spike in home and vehicle burglaries in Trousdale ... and it's got residents scared stiff.

Our source tells us the neighbors pooled cash and hired the security company ... problem is, the guards hadn't started patrols yet.

Some residents are so concerned after Wednesday's home invasion ... they've individually hired armed guards. And, on top of that, sources at the Beverly Hills PD tell us they will be measurably increasing patrols in the area. The PD has also hired a private security company to make sure the area is adequately covered.

Our BHPD sources tell us as far as they can see there is no connection to the smash-and-grab robberies in Beverly Hills and L.A. Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue were both hit recently in Bev Hills.

TMZ broke the story, Avant was killed in her home early Wednesday morning. We know at least one suspect made their way into the home where Jackie was shot in the stomach ... she was awake and alert when paramedics arrived, but later died at the hospital.

Tate Myre -- a star junior for the Oxford Wildcats football team -- died trying to disarm the gunman during the tragic school shooting on Tuesday ... and now, the running back's peers want to honor his legacy by renaming the stadium after him.

A 15-year-old was taken into custody after 3 students were killed and 8 others were injured in the 5-minute attack ... with witnesses claiming the athlete tried to subdue the shooter.

16-year-old Myre was shot in the confrontation and was rushed by a deputy to a local hospital. Unfortunately, Myre succumbed to his injuries in the police car.

Myre's classmates have been posting about their grief ... sharing memorable stories about Tate. One person even launched a Change.org petition, calling on the school to rename Wildcats Stadium in his honor -- it currently has more than 55,000 signatures.

Myre was a standout athlete for the Wildcats -- he was interested in playing for schools like Michigan State, Texas, Notre Dame, USC, Texas A&M and more.

In his recruitment bio, Myre had goals of playing at the next level.

"I have been in love with football since I was young and always dreamed of playing college football," he said in his profile. "If I play college football I will be the hardest worker on the field and no matter the situation in the game I will give all my effort."

Myre appeared to be on his way to making that dream a reality -- he recently visited the University of Toledo on a recruitment trip.

The big mystery in the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie "Rust" remains ... how live rounds ended up in the weapon, and now investigators are taking a closer look at the film's ammo supplier.

According to a new search warrant, obtained by TMZ, detectives in New Mexico have interviewed a guy named Seth Kenney, one of the suppliers of the ammunition head armorer Hannah Reed used on set.

Cops also spoke to Hannah's father, Thell Reed, who himself is an experienced armorer who has worked with Seth. In the docs, cops say Thell told them he and Seth crossed paths on a different production ... a month or 2 before the "Rust" tragedy.

What's interesting about that is ... Thell claims Seth brought live ammo -- a can with about 200 to 300 rounds -- to that set for the purpose of weapons training. When the training was completed, Thell says Seth took back the remaining bullets, and claims that included some live Colt .45 ammo.

The gun Baldwin fired was a long barrel Colt .45. You see where Thell is going with this -- he told cops the leftover ammo from his production might match that which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

That's his theory, anyway, and cops are willing to check it out -- the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. got the warrant to search Seth's company, PDQ Arm & Prop.

Presumably, they want to see if the fatal round matches those in the can of live ammo from a couple months ago. The judge signed off, giving detectives the greenlight to scoop up the potential evidence.

And, there's this ... according to the docs, cops also spoke to "Rust" prop master, Sarah Zachry, who said she checked the ammo box -- after Halyna was shot -- and found some bullets that rattled, indicating they're dummy rounds, and others that didn't. That led her to believe there were even more live rounds in the ammo box.

Remember, Hannah's attorneys floated a theory that someone, perhaps a disgruntled crew member, intentionally brought live bullets on set to sabotage the production -- but D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies has said she isn't buying that.

Ex-UCF star football player Otis Anderson Jr. was allegedly shot and killed by his dad on Monday night ... after the two had gotten into an argument over a dog bite.

It's all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say Otis Jr.'s mom, Denise Anderson, told them the whole, violent altercation started after her son's girlfriend's dog had bitten Otis Anderson Sr.

Cops say Denise told them Otis Sr. was so enraged over the bloody wound caused by the dog -- he and Otis Jr. proceeded to get into a verbal altercation.

Denise claimed the two were eventually separated when she told Otis Jr. to go upstairs ... but cops say she then got into an argument with Otis Sr., one in which Otis Sr. flipped over a recliner, causing Otis Jr. to come back downstairs to check on his mom.

When Otis Jr. made it back downstairs, cops say Denise told them the father and son "got into another verbal altercation and it appeared like they were going to fight."

It's unclear exactly what happened next -- the report was heavily redacted by police -- but in the docs, cops note when they arrived on the scene, they found Otis Jr. suffering from "at least one gunshot wound to the chest."

The cops also noted in the docs Denise was "suffering from multiple graze wounds."

Officers say Otis. Jr. was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, while Denise was treated for her wounds at the facility and later released.

In the docs, cops say they eventually arrested Anderson Sr. and booked him on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Jail records show he's still currently in custody.

As we reported, the NFL community is mourning the loss of Otis Jr. -- who signed with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season before getting cut in September -- with stars like Jalen Ramsey and Micah Parsons expressing sadness over the situation.

UCF has also commented on the tragedy, saying in a statement, "He was revered by his teammates, our fans, and everyone within Knight Nation."

"Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who loved Otis. He was taken too soon and will truly be missed."

Gunshots rang out at a shopping mall in North Carolina, sending Black Friday shoppers running for their lives ... and leaving multiple people injured.

The shooting went down at Southpoint Mall in Durham, N.C. ... where police say 3 people were struck by gunfire.

Naturally, the mall was super packed with folks coming through for Black Friday deals ... and the hail of bullets resulted in chaos, with people scrambling for cover as a stampede broke out.

A local reporter also captured video outside the mall, showing throngs of shoppers booking it to their cars to try to get the hell outta Dodge.

Police say one person is in custody, though others involved in the shooting managed to flee the scene. Cops say there is no active shooting threat.

Alec Baldwin is preparing for legal war ... hiring a lawyer for the civil lawsuits resulting from the fatal "Rust" movie shooting.

The "Rust" star and producer is lawyering up with Aaron S. Dyer of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman ... according to multiple reports.

Dyer, who spent almost seven years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, will reportedly rep Alec plus Rust Movie Productions and the other production companies involved in the western.

As you know ... Alec pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting on set last month that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

The revolver was loaded with at least one live round ... though assistant director Dave Halls announced it was a "cold" gun -- meaning no live ammo -- before handing it over to Alec inside a church where they were practicing for a scene.

TMZ broke the story ... the key gaffer on "Rust" is already taking legal action against Alec, Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ... Serge Svetnoy is suing over the shooting, claiming the defendants' alleged negligence caused him severe emotional distress.

Remember ... Svetnoy claims the deadly bullet nearly hit him too, and says he was one of the first people who tended to Halyna while she was bleeding from her gunshot wound, trying to comfort her and keep her conscious.

Alec is also named in another suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who claims she suffered emotional and physical injuries when AB shot Halyna.

The Minnesota Vikings say they're concerned for the health of Everson Griffen ... after the defensive end posted a series of disturbing things on his social media page Wednesday -- including a video of him waving a gun.

Griffen sent out the scary posts overnight ... and in the terrifying video, which is roughly 30 seconds in length, the 33-year-old can be seen staring wide-eyed and speaking quickly with a firearm in his hand.

"Yo, yo, yo," Griffen can be heard saying. "I'm in my house. N*****s trying to pop me. I still got clips left. This is my gun."

Griffen also shared screenshots of a series of troubling text messages that he allegedly sent ... appearing to show him asking for help while saying, "People are trying to kill me."

The Vikings said in a statement Wednesday morning that they are aware of it all and are concerned ... adding that they have been in contact with Griffen.

"Vikings representatives and the team's mental health professionals have been on-site at Everson Griffen's home since early this morning and are cooperating with law enforcement," the team said.

"Our only concern at this time is the safety and well-being of Everson and his family. We will have further comment at the appropriate time."

Head coach Mike Zimmer, meanwhile, added that he's worried for Griffen as well -- and said he was not sure if his player was "safe."

"We're only concerned about his well-being," Zimmer said.

Griffen has battled mental health issues in the past ... including an incident in 2018, in which cops say he jumped out of an ambulance after he feared "someone was going to shoot him."