The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins had been sacked from a film in 2019 after a prop gun accidentally fired on the set of 2022 film Freedom’s Path, injuring a crew member, according to a producer.
“Dave [Halls] was very remorseful for the events and understood the reasons he was being terminated,” the producer said by email.
Baldwin had been practising a “cross-draw” weapons firing technique and was aiming at a camera when a prop gun went off last Thursday, according to multiple witness statements.
Authorities in Sante Fe have released statements by Rust director Joel Souza and a cameraman who said the accidental shooting happened during a scene filmed inside a mock church.
On Sunday, hundreds attended a vigil for cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in Albuquerque, New Mexico. An investigation into the shooting is continuing.
Rust ‘an accident waiting to happen’, says prop master who turned down film
Prop master Neal W Zoromski said he was offered the Alec Baldwin film but turned it down because it was “an accident waiting to happen”.
Mr Zoromski, who has worked in Hollywood for 30 years, told the The Los Angeles Times he was approached by production managers to work as a prop master on Rust.
ABC’s The Rookie bans use of ‘live’ guns from set
ABC’s TV series The Rookie has introduced a new policy that will ban the use of “live” guns on set.
This decision comes after the fatal shooting that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Rust’s set in New Mexico.
The Rookie’s showrunner Alexi Hawley sent a letter to the cast and crew explaining the change.
“It was an easy decision to make given the recent tragedy, and I think every production should consider making it,” Hawley said in a statement, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
He added: “It is now policy on The Rookie that all gunfire on set will be Air Soft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post.”
“The safety our cast and crew is too important. Any risk is too much risk,” the showrunner said.
Prop master says Alec Baldwin’s Rust was ‘an accident waiting to happen’
A Hollywood-based prop master said he was offered to work on Alec Baldwin’s film Rust but turned it down because it was “an accident waiting to happen.”
Neal W Zoromski, who has three decades of experience working in the industry, told the The Los Angeles Times that he was approached by Rust production managers to work as a prop master for the forthcoming Western.
However, after four days of internal discussions, Zoromski said he got a “bad feeling.”
Based on his conversations, Zoromski explained that the team was highly focused on saving money, even at the cost of compromising set safety protocols.
Additionally, he said his questions were dismissed by the film’s managers.
“After I pressed ‘send’ on that last email, I felt, in the pit of my stomach that is an accident waiting to happen,” Zoromski said.