I will bet $1000 that he took the gun, gripping the single action revolver with the trigger fully pressed. He then pulled back the hammer expecting it to be cocked and let the hammer go. The hammer struck the primer and the cinematographer suffered a fatal wound.
DING! DING! DING! I believe we have the winner!
That is EXACTLY what I told my wife when it first happened!
Baldwin says he didn’t “pull the trigger” because he grabbed the pistol, gripping the trigger either on purpose or on accident. He then cocked the hammer, and released it, expecting the hammer to stay in place; instead, because he was already depressing the trigger, the hammer fell on the striker, causing the pistol to fire, striking and killing Ms. Hutchins.
So, he can say he didn’t “pull” the trigger, but the fact remains his mishandling of a weapon caused the death of another person!
Any other person, other than a Hollyweird movie star, would already be in jail awaiting trial, or already in prison!