The assistant director who handed the gun to Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, which was used in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer, has broken silence on the incident but didn’t provide details of the incident.
On October 21, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for the Western-genre film ‘Rust’ when he discharged a firearm that he was told was unloaded. The projectile struck and ultimately killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to Fox News, Dave Halls was one of four people to handle the gun on the day of the shooting, law enforcement has said, along with Baldwin, armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and prop master Sarah Zachry.
Halls broke his silence on the matter on Monday, offering a statement to a news outlet.
He said, “Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I’ve worked with, but also a friend. I’m shocked and saddened by her death.”
The filmmaker continued: “It’s my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to re-evaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.”
Halls didn’t provide any details of what he thought might be reformed or how changes might have helped avoid what happened on the set of ‘Rust’. Furthermore, he said that he’s “overwhelmed by the love and support” and added that his “thoughts are with all who knew and loved Halyna.”
Last week, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said there was “some complacency” in how weapons were handled on the set. Investigators found around 500 rounds of ammunition, a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and suspected live rounds, even though the set’s firearms specialist, Gutierrez-Reed, said real ammo should never have been present.
Gutierrez-Reed said through her attorneys that she didn’t know where the live rounds came from and blamed producers for unsafe working conditions.
Halls’ attorney Lisa Torraco on Monday appeared on ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’ and initially, said that Halls “absolutely did not” hand the loaded gun to Baldwin, though later backtracked and dodged questions on the matter.
When pressed further, the attorney said she has spoken to some crew members who remember Gutierrez-Reed handing the weapon to Baldwin while others recall seeing Halls pass it to the actor directly after being passed the weapon by Gutierrez-Reed himself.
According to a warrant from authorities, Baldwin was handed the firearm by Halls. A warrant stated that Halls handed the gun to Baldwin and declared it “cold,” an industry term meaning that the weapon was not loaded with ammunition, including blanks.
According to court records, the gun Baldwin used was one of three that Gutierrez-Reed had placed on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating the incident and said it was “too early” to comment on potential charges during a press conference on Wednesday. However, Sheriff Adan Mendoza has since referred to the department’s efforts as a “criminal investigation,” as per Fox News.
“I’d be careful using the word ‘accident,'” Mendoza said during a Thursday appearance on ‘Fox and Friends’. He added, “This is obviously a tragedy, and it was avoidable, so right now it’s a criminal investigation.”
