DailyMail.com was told that the Assistant Director who gave Alec Baldwin the gun with live ammunition that he accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna HUTCHINS had a reputation for being lax with safety and was ‘flippant towards firearms on previous movie sets.

David Halls, the Assistant Director for Rust is the Western movie Baldwin was producing and acting in when he accidentally killed Hutchins Thursday and injured director Joel Souza. 

Search warrants show that Halls and all others on the set were unaware that the gun Baldwin was handed contained live ammunition. 

He had made it a cold’ weapon, meaning that it was loaded with blanks only.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragic accident. DailyMail.com received information from pyrotechnicians/prop masters who worked alongside Halls on other projects.  

David Halls is the Assistant Director of Rust, the Western movie Baldwin was acting in and producing when he accidentally killed Hutchins on Thursday and wounded director Joel Souza

David Halls, the Assistant Director for Rust is the Western movie Baldwin was producing and acting in when he accidentally killed Hutchins.

Baldwin was handed the gun and was told by Halls that it was 'cold'. He was practicing a cross draw when it went off, fatally wounding Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza

Baldwin was handed the gun and was told by Halls that it was 'cold'. He was practicing a cross draw when it went off, fatally wounding Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza

Baldwin was handed the gun by Halls, who told him that it was cold’. He was practicing a cross-draw when it went off. It killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

One crew member, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being blacklisted, told DailyMail.com that he’d worked with Halls on two similarly low-budget sets in Los Angeles in spring 2019, one where a revolver and Glock were used, and another involving shotguns.  

Each morning they’d have a meeting to discuss the weapons and other safety issues, an industry standard. But he said Halls didn’t think they were needed.

‘He was very flippant about my insistence on having a safety meeting about the weapons, on both of the sets,’ said the crew member, who asked to use the pseudonym “Jay” and has worked on films for 10 years.

‘He would rush through it and say, alright guys, be safe, let’s get to work.’

He said, “Even though the guns weren’t loaded, you must treat it as if they were always loaded.” “And for me that means doing a safety meeting that may be seen as unnecessary but should absolutely be done so that everyone is on the same page.”

 ‘He would rush through it and say, alright guys, be safe, let’s get to work’

‘Systemically, so much pressure is put on the first assistant directors to meet a schedule, to ‘make the day,’ meaning to get all the work done that you already have scheduled for the day,’ he continued. 

“When it comes safety on set, or waiting for anything, safety takes time. I have seen 1st ADs get annoyed at having to wait. 

“But they eventually understand it must be done.” But when I worked with him, it was the only time I’ve had any AD ask me, “Do we really need to have a safety meeting?”‘

No live bullets were used on either set and no guns were pointed at any other person. The guns appeared to be on target because of the angles of the cameras. The ‘armorer, or person responsible for weapons on set, would shine a flashlight through the barrel to show there was no blockage or potential projectile before anyone touched a trigger.

Jay stated that no projectile should be fired when you fire. However, it could still prove to be dangerous. ‘That’s where there are rules. You don’t aim it at anybody at any time.’

Halls has removed his Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and has not commented on the shooting

Halls has deleted his LinkedIn account and Twitter account, and has not commented on this shooting. 

Sources on the set of Rust said the incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could be tied to the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed

 Sources on the set of Rust said the incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could be tied to the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed

He stated that an assistant director would never touch the gun in any instance.

Jay stated that Jay’s job was to visually inspect the guns and check them with the actor as well as the steward on the set, who is either the property person or an armorer.

“The gun’s chain of custody should be between the armorer, property person, and the actor who is directly handling it.”

On the set of Rust, Jay said, first of all there shouldn’t have been any live ammunition on the set.

He believes Hall is responsible for the tragedy as he shouted “cold guns” without ever having seen the weapon in order to “clear the gun.”

‘That’s what makes me feel he is in every way responsible,’ Jay told DailyMail.com.

“First, he was never supposed handle that prop. He declared it a “cold gun”. It literally takes just a few seconds to check the gun to make sure it’s safe. 

“He didn’t know if it was a cold-gun, so why did he make that announcement?”

The crew were filming a scene inside this church when the shooting happened on Thursday. Production has now been halted

The crew was filming a scene in the church when the shooting took place on Thursday. Production has been halted

PRODUCTION EMAIL TO CREE 

October 24,

Dear all,

As we go through this difficult time and mourn the loss Halyna Hutchins (our dear friend and colleague), our hearts are with each of you. We are all family and must stand alongside each other during difficult times. We remain in close touch with Halyna’s family and commend the strength they show in the face of unspeakable tragedy. It is truly an inspiration.

We also want you to know that Joel Souza has been undergoing rehabilitation. We are there to support him in any way we can, knowing how difficult it is.

We want you to know that we continue to cooperate with the Sante Fe County Sheriff’s Department as they conduct their investigation. We are proud of their diligence. As you may be aware, we are currently conducting an internal review on safety protocols. As with any ongoing investigation we are limited in our ability publicly or privately to say more. We ask for your patience.

We cannot respond to any comments made by people on social media or in the media as we continue our investigation. We are sorry to learn that many of you have been receiving unsolicited media contacts. However, we understand that everyone needs time and space to grieve. You don’t need to engage, but if you do just ask that the journalists to respect your privacy. It should help.

We want to remind everyone of the support resources available to them to help them through this very difficult time. We encourage you to reach out to the in-person and virtual grief counselors at any time – they are available 24/7.

You can arrange an in-person or virtual session by texting the office at 505-230-8113 with your preferred times and whether you prefer in-person sessions or virtual. A counselor will connect you with a car call specialist.

As we work through this crisis, we have decided to wrap the set at the very least until the investigations are completed.

We are currently working out when your personal items can be picked up. Tomorrow’s update will be available on the wrap-out schedule.

Although our hearts are broken and it is difficult to see beyond the horizon at times, this is a moment of pause and not an end. We all remain connected to the spirit that brought us to this special place.

–The Rust Production Team

We will be making a donation to the Halyna Hutchins Scholarship Fund established by Halyna’s family. We will match any donations made by the crew. 

You can find more information here: https://www.afi.com/halyna-hutchins-scholarship-fund.

‘If it weren’t for the actions he took in those few seconds, I believe Halyna would still be alive,’ he concluded.

Maggie Goll, a pyrotechnician, worked with Halls in 2019 on a Hulu series Into The Dark. She told DailyMail.com she complained to the Directors Guild of America after he tried pushing on filming despite a crew member suffering from diabetes.

The crew member was also a certified pyrotechnician and was required on set to supervise scenes involving a 100-watt fireplace. Goll said that he was unconscious when he collapsed and called 911. Halls however wanted to continue shooting.

She also said that he had ‘neglected safety meetings’ during the same shoot. 

‘Dave failed to hold safety meetings and make announcements before a firearm appeared on set on a daily base.

“The only reason that the crew was made aware that a weapon was present was because the Assistant Prop Masters demanded Dave acknowledge the situation and announce it each day.

A girl pays her respects at a vigil held for Halyna in Burbank, California, on October 23

A girl pays her respects to Halyna at a vigil in Burbank, California on October 23rd

“This Asst. Prop Master” would announce every day, when a gun would need to be on camera, the disposition that weapon would have – whether it was an rubber/plastic replica, non-firing option or a “cold”, functional but unloaded option. This would allow anyone to inspect said weapon before bringing the weapon to set and presenting to the talent.

‘The Prop Master was also extremely vigilant in claiming any weapons distributed prior to the talent leaving set.

“The Prop Master often reprimanded Dave for not returning props, weapons included, or failing safety announcements. 

She said that she filed several complaints with a safety phone number after the shoot and tried to contact Directors Guild of America. But, nothing was done. 

‘That was the last I saw of Dave and that AP. That was until Dave’s name came up in connection to the accident on “Rust.” 

“I’m gutted that I haven’t pushed harder for more accountability and safety.

“Many of our messages have been asking each other the same thing: Is there something we could do then that would have prevented yesterday’s tragedy in New Mexico? 

She stated, “It’s a terrible feeling.”

Halls has not yet spoken out about the tragedy. He was working alongside Hannah Gutierrez, a 24-year-old armourer. Other crew members have questioned her sloppy approach to gun safety training. 

Baldwin posted a tweet on Friday stating that he was fully cooperating to the police. 

Before Matthew flew to New Mexico, he was in touch with Halyna’s widower Matthew. They were photographed together on Sunday.