Actor Alec Baldwin on Saturday made his first public comments since the incident on the set of his movie, “Rust”, in which he accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun.

Speaking to reporters and quoted by Reuters, Baldwin said the incident was a “one in a trillion episode” and said he support limits on the use of real guns in films and television shows.

The actor added he had been told not to comment on the investigation by authorities in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“I’m not allowed to make any comments because it’s an ongoing investigation,” Baldwin told reporters in an impromptu roadside conversation with photographers and camera crews who had located him in a small town in Vermont.

“We are eagerly awaiting the sheriff’s department telling us what their investigation has yielded,” he added.

Hutchins, 42, was killed and Joel Souza, the director of the movie, was wounded when Baldwin fired a gun loaded with a real bullet during a rehearsal on the set on October 21. Baldwin had been told the gun was safe.

No charges have been filed as of Saturday, and the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department has said its investigation will take time to complete. It remains unclear how live ammunition found its way on to the set.

In his comments, Baldwin described Hutchins as his friend and said her family was “overwhelmed with grief”.

“There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode,” he said.

“I do know that an ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I’m extremely interested in,” Baldwin added. “Some new measures have to be taken.”

According to court records, the movie’s assistant director Dave Halls handed the gun to Baldwin and yelled, "Cold gun," indicating that it was loaded with blanks.

Baldwin then fired, hitting Hutchins in the chest and Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins later died in hospital of her wounds.

Earlier this week, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said criminal charges have not been ruled out in the incident.

Carmack-Altwies also said it was incorrect to refer to the firearm used in the incident as a "prop gun."

"It was a legit gun. It was an antique-era appropriate gun," she said.

Carmack-Altwies added an "enormous amount of bullets" had been found on the set and an investigation was needed into the nature of that ammunition.