Alec Baldwin spoke out for the first time yesterday since the tragic on-set fatal shooting that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin gave an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, claiming he never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin Claims He Didn’t Pull the Trigger

“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never,” Baldwin said, reported ABC News. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”

Many will no doubt see these statements as a bold effort to avoid blame. After all, multiple lawsuits name Baldwin in civil suits stemming from the tragic event. But that may not all be smoke. Movie sets comprise complex situations, balancing many moving parts and people. Could someone else have possibly placed live ammo in a gun without Baldwin’s knowledge? Absolutely. Frank Melloni expertly broke down the complicated Hollywood movie protocols concerning firearms on set.

But live rounds in a gun offers no explanation to making it go bang. Simply stated, guns fire after depressing the trigger. In a six-gun, at the bare minimum, the hammer most likely got pulled to the rear. Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to explain a negligent discharge.

“I think back and I think of what could I have done?” Baldwin said, according to ABC News. “She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her], and admired… I mean, even now I find it hard to believe [she’s gone]. It doesn’t seem real to me.”

Cleary, none of us here know what happened on that fateful day. We can’t even say Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger. But we sure know how guns work, even how they fail, and something doesn’t seem to add up so far in Baldwin’s explanations of those events. Certainly, we don’t allege anything other than this tragedy seems to illustrate a catastrophic failure of gun safety rules. Whether Baldwin pulled the trigger or not, hopefully the ongoing investigation provides some clarity in the near future.