While out with his family in Vermont today, Alec Baldwin opted to stop and chat with photographers about the Rust shooting tragedy. It was the first time he had spoken publicly about the incident.

Alec shot a vintage .45 Colt handgun used as a prop, which he believed did not contain live bullets, while practicing for the Western movie last week, according to Santa Fe police. Halyna was hit, as was director Joel Souza, who was wounded.

Baldwin informed a reporter from BackGrid on Saturday that he had been gagged from speaking about the unintentional killing of Halyna Hutchins by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department. His voice was scratchy, and his face was strained with sorrow.

“I’m not allowed to make any comments because it’s an ongoing investigation,” Baldwin told the crowd. “I’ve been ordered by the Sheriff’s Department in Santa Fe. I can’t answer any questions about the investigation. I can’t.”

On a Vermont roadside, Baldwin told cameras, “She was my friend.”

“The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner, with Joel, the director,” Alec stated right before his wife Hilaria approached him. He told her, “Excuse me,” before continuing to talk to the press.

“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.”

On Saturday, a paparazzi member inquired about the actor’s previous encounter with “her family.” The journalist said that he had forgotten her name. Hilaria said, “Halyna! Her name is Halyna! If you’re spending this much time waiting for us, you should know her name. Her name is Halyna.”

“You should know her name,” both Baldwins added.

After the event, Baldwin said he met with Hutchins’ husband and her little kid, but he “wouldn’t know how to categorize” how the conversation went.

“The guy is overwhelmed with grief,” he said about Halyna’s husband. “He is in shock. He has a 9-year-old son. We are in constant contact with him because we’re very worried about his family and his kid. We’re eagerly awaiting for the sheriff’s department to tell us what their investigation has yielded.”

Baldwin also labeled the shooting on set as “one in a trillion” and demanded “new measures” to ensure set safety. He said, “How many bullets have been fired in films and tv shows in the last 75 years? This is America. Probably billions. And nearly all of them without incident.”

“It’s urgent for you to understand that I am not an expert in this field,’ he said. It’s “whatever other people” decide.

The Baldwins, who have six children together, refused to clarify why they were staying in Vermont and requested that they not be followed any longer, claiming that their children were weeping in the car because they were being chased.

Investigators in New Mexico, where the incident occurred, said there was “some complacency” in the handling of guns on the set, but it’s too early to say if charges would be pressed.

Live bullets were discovered amid 500 rounds of ammunition on the film set, according to the sheriff investigating the issue.

Detectives have discovered a lead projectile that they believe was shot by the actor. The bullet extracted from Souza’s shoulder is being tested to see if it was shot from the same long Colt gun used by Baldwin. Ballistics analysis will be assisted by the FBI.