“Rust”: David Halls, who gave Alec Balwin the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins, breaks his silence

Dave Halls, the assistant director who presented Alec Baldwin with the pistol with which the actor accidentally killed Halyna Hutchinssaid feeling “Overwhelmed” and “saddened” when almost two weeks have passed since the incident.

Halls, a “person of interest” in the investigation carried out by the authorities of New Mexico (USA), assured The New York Post on Monday that he hopes that the tragedy will drive the film industry to “Evaluate their values ​​and practices to ensure that no one is harmed again through the creative process.”

“Halyna Hutchins was not only one of the most talented people I have ever worked with, she was also a friend.”, he said in his first statements to the press.

The man did not elaborate on the tragedy as the filming crew is prohibited from talking about the matter while the investigation lasts, something that Baldwin himself explained to the paparazzi who were following him this weekend.

As an assistant director, Halls had a duty to supervise the pistol before handing it over to Baldwin.

According to other people who say they have worked with him, the professional was fired from a shoot in 2019 for another unwanted shot, although, fortunately, he did not injure anyone.

According to his police statement, published by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office (New Mexico, USA), Halls did not carefully review the weapon before rehearsing the scene because he was convinced that it contained fake bullets.

According to the document, the assistant remembers examining three compartments of the barrel of the pistol, a Colt 45 revolver, but is not aware of whether the production gunsmith later turned that same barrel.

Although the man was supposed to give the gun to Baldwin, the supervision of all the weapons present on the set was handled by Hannah Gutierrez Reed, a gunsmith who blamed the film’s producers for not following his recommendations and skipping a training session. about safety in the study.

Also, the gunsmith said he had “no idea” of the origin of the authentic bullets that the investigators have located in the studio where the western “Rust” was filmed.

The investigation tries to find out who, and for what purpose, introduced live ammunition into the compound where the director of photography died when she was shot during a test.

The statements of team members who worked in the production portray a precarious work environment in which the protests were piling up and for which half a dozen employees resigned on the same day of the tragic accident.

Faced with questions from the press about the possible legal responsibility of Baldwin, who in addition to being the protagonist of the film is one of the producers, the sheriff stressed that “nothing is ruled out.”