Alec Baldwin Case: Assistant Director Asks Industry to Reevaluate Practices

Assistant Director Dave Halls made his first statement this Monday about the accidental gunshot fired by Alec Baldwin, 63, who killed director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of the movie “Rust” on the 21st October in Santa Fe, United States.

“Halyna Hutchins was not only one of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with, but also a friend,” Dave Halls said in a statement obtained by the New York Post.

Halls said he is shocked and saddened by Halyna’s death. “I hope this tragedy will prompt the industry to reassess its values ​​and practices to ensure that no one is harmed during the creative process again.”

The assistant director added that he was “thrilled by the love and support” and said his “thoughts are with everyone who knew and loved Halyna.”

Halls did not address the details of the incident in his testimony – including that he screamed “cold gun” before the gun that killed Hutchins was handed over to Alec Baldwin, indicating that there were no actual bullets in the gun, according to a statement obtained by People.

Last week, an updated search warrant from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Halls had admitted to authorities that there was a lapse in on-set gun safety protocol that led to the incident.

Halls explained typical on-set protocol to authorities. “I check the pipe for obstructions, most of the time there is no real fire, she [armeirao Hannah Gutierrez-Reed] opens the hatch and spins the drum, and I say cold gun on set, “according to the document obtained by the New York Post.

On the day of the incident, Halls said Gutierrez-Reed showed the loaded gun after the team returned from lunch so they could continue rehearsals. According to the warrant, he admitted that he should have checked each round, but he didn’t. He couldn’t remember if Gutierrez-Reed turned the drum.

After the incident, Halls said he took the gun from a church pew on set and took it to Gutierrez-Reed, instructing her to open it so he could see what was inside. When the gun rack opened the gun, Halls told authorities he saw five cartridges in the gun — four “false” cartridges, indicated by a hole in the casing, and one “without the hole,” according to the warrant.

On Wednesday, New Mexico authorities confirmed that the projectile that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza was a real lead bullet.

In a statement made by her lawyers, Gutierrez-Reed said there are “untruths that have been told to the media” and that she is “devastated and completely beside herself with the events that took place”.

The investigation is still ongoing and production of the film halted. No charges were filed.

UNDERSTAND THE CASE

A shot fired on the film set of the movie “Rust,” starring Alec Baldwin, left director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, dead and director Joel Souza, 48, injured at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico , in the United States, on October 21st.

The actor himself fired the scenographic weapon, which should have been with blank, not real ammunition. “We are now trying to determine how and what type of projectile was used in the firearm,” said Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

Baldwin was interrogated and was crying, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, but no one was arrested for the accident. According to a report, the gun was handed over to the actor by assistant director Dave Halls, who didn’t know she had live ammunition and confirmed this on set by yelling “cold gun”.

But, according to the Hollywood union, the gun contained live ammunition. “A real ammunition was accidentally fired on set by the lead actor, hitting Local 600 director of photography Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza,” said a local branch of the IATSE (International Theater Stage Employees Alliance) union. acronym in English).

Hours before the shooting, a group of cameramen left the set of “Rust” on a beach near the city of Santa Fe in protest at working conditions. Low budget, long travel and working hours were some of the complaints, according to the Los Angeles Times.

On his social networks, Alec Baldwin spoke about the shock and sadness caused by the accident, and said that he was in contact with his colleague’s family. “I am cooperating with the police investigation to find out how this tragedy happened,” he wrote.