The assistant director for Rust is speaking out publicly for the first time since the disaster in which Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and injured the director last month while on the set.
David Halls opened up about his experience working with Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot and killed, before her death on Oct. 21. He described Hutchins as being a friend who was “one of the most talented people I’ve worked with,” according to a statement reported by the New York Post on Monday.
“I’m shocked and saddened by her death,” he said. “It’s my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.”
ROUGHLY 500 ROUNDS, SOME POSSIBLY LIVE, RECOVERED FROM SET OF ALEC BALDWIN FILM: SHERIFF
Halls did not comment on his role in the tragedy.
A search warrant affidavit said the assistant director handed the gun to Baldwin and shouted, “Cold gun,” signaling that the firearm was not supposed to be loaded. That’s when Baldwin fired.
But an insider told the news outlet that two staffers on the News Mexico set told investigators they never saw Halls remove the gun from the armorer’s cart and denied that Halls had called the gun “cold” before giving it to Baldwin.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the Western film, has already denied responsibility for Hutchins’s death, with her lawyers stating on Oct. 29 that their client “has no idea where the live rounds came from.”
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No charges have been filed, and an investigation into the incident remains active. The director who was injured, Joel Souza, has since been released from the hospital
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin tweeted after the mishap. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
