Assistant Director Who Gave Alec Baldwin Prop Gun That Killed Cinematographer, Injures Director Had Faced Safety Complaint in the Past, Film Crew Reveals
A crew member revealed that she has raised safety concerns in the past against the assistant director who authorities said unwittingly handed actor Alec Baldwin the prop gun that killed a cinematographer on a film set in New Mexico.
Safety Concerns Raised Before the 'Rust' Film Set Misfire
A prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician, Maggie Goll, said in a statement that she filed an internal complaint with the executive producers of Hulu's "Into the Dark" series in 2019 over concerns regarding assistant director Dave Halls' behavior on the film set.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Maggie Goll said in a phone interview Sunday that Halls disregarded safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics. The prop maker also shared that the assistant director also tried to continue filming even after the supervising pyrotechnician lost consciousness on set.
Meanwhile, assistant director Halls has not returned phone calls and email messages seeking comment.
Moreover, Goll said that the fatal shooting on a film set and some of her previous experiences point to larger safety issues that need to be addressed. She also emphasized that the safety of crew members and their wellbeing were top issues in ongoing contract negotiations between a union that represents film and TV workers and a major producers' group.
The prop maker also clarified that the situation was not about Dave Halls despite concerns. She cleared that it's in no way that it would be one person's fault. Goll stated that it was a bigger conversation about safety on set and what they were trying to achieve with that culture.
The issue about prop safety emerged after the 63-year-old actor, Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the film "Rust," killing 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins and injuring movie director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her.
Alec Baldwin Shooting Details Revealed in Affidavit
Based on the court records, the gun used by Baldwin was one of three that a firearms specialist, or "armorer," had set on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed.
Court papers stated that Halls grabbed a gun off a cart and handed it to Baldwin, indicating that the weapon was safe by yelling "cold gun." However, it was loaded with live rounds, records said.
Goll said it should not have happened because there were so many steps that they have to go through and the possibility of it even getting there should be impossible.
Actor Ray Liotta agreed that the checks on firearms are usually extensive. Liotta said in an interview Sunday at the Newport Beach Film Festival that the checking of the prop was ample.
Furthermore, Baldwin, who is a producer on the movie "Rust," met with Hutchins' husband and 9-year-old son Saturday at a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the actor had been staying during filming. Baldwin and Hutchins' husband can be seen embracing in a photo published by the New York Post.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Who handed Alec Baldwin the prop gun before the tragic accident? -FOX 11 Los Angeles
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