Alec Baldwin’s Assistant Director Speaks Out For The First Time Following Fatal Shooting Incident
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The assistant director of Rust has spoken out in the wake of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
On October 21, actor Alec Baldwin was handed a prop gun that he believed to be safe, after Dave Halls gave to him, declaring, ‘Cold gun.’
When Baldwin fired the gun, it hit both Hutchins and the film’s director, Joel Souza. Souza sustained an injury to his shoulder, while Hutchins passed away as a result of the incident.
Court documents showed that Baldwin was not aware the gun contained live ammunition, and they have since also suggested that Halls was also unaware. He has now spoken out for the first time about the incident.
Halls told the New York Post that he was ‘shocked and saddened’ by Hutchins’ death.
He stated:
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.
Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I’ve worked with, but also a friend.
Halls concluded that he has been ‘overwhelmed by the love and support’ and that his ‘thoughts are with all who knew and loved Halyna’.
The police investigation is still ongoing, as it has not yet been discovered how a live round came to be placed inside the gun.
Search warrants revealed that Baldwin, Halls and the set’s armourer, 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were the three people to handle the gun before the fatal shooting. Gutierrez-Reed claimed that she had never witnessed ‘anyone shoot live rounds with these guns’ and that they had been ‘locked up every night’.
The weapon was not definitely thoroughly checked by Halls for live rounds, prior to him giving it to Baldwin. Halls noted how he could ‘only remember seeing three rounds’ and ‘couldn’t remember if [Gutierrez-Reed] had spun the drum’, according to the affidavit filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.
However, the affidavits noted that Gutierrez-Reed confirmed she had ‘checked the “dummies” and ensured they were not “hot rounds”‘.
Last week, around 500 rounds of ammunition were found on the set of the 19th century-western film, according to Adam Mendoza, a Santa Fe County sheriff. They are suspected as being a mixture of blanks, dummies and live rounds.
Mendoza commented that there had been ‘some complacency’ in the handling of the weapons, however no charges have yet been filed as a result of the incident.
Although a district attorney has noted that they could still be ‘on the table’, despite the production company and Baldwin’s cooperation with the investigation.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Topics: News, Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, Rust
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