Rust: The deputy director was previously sacked for gun safety

Rust’s assistant director Dave Halls had been fired from a previous production for gun safety violations.

Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western last week.

Freedom’s Path producers confirmed to AFP on Monday that Halls had been fired in 2019.

It happened after a crew member “suffered a minor and temporary injury when a gun was unexpectedly discharged,” the statement said.

Rocket Soul Studios said Halls could not be reached for comment. There is no suggestion that Halls is responsible for the Rust incident.

The studio’s producers said in a statement sent to the BBC: “First of all, our condolences go out to all those affected by the recent tragic event in New Mexico.

“Halls was removed from the set immediately after the prop gun was unloaded. Production didn’t resume filming until Dave was off site. At that time, an incident report was collected and filed.”

An affidavit filed about the Rust incident said Halls had handed the gun to Baldwin during a trial and called “cold gun” as he did so, meaning the weapon had no live ammunition.

“The assistant director (Dave Halls) didn’t know there were live bullets in the prop pistol,” the affidavit said.

Speaking on Monday, Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department investigating the incident, described it as “a complicated case”.

He said investigators interviewed Hannah Gutierrez, who was in charge of gun safety on the set, but didn’t provide any further details. Gutierrez has not yet commented publicly and the BBC has been unable to contact her.

An inventory of the seized items that was released on Monday also showed that investigators had recovered loose, boxed ammunition from the set, though they didn’t want to say which type.

Investigators hope that a forensic analysis of the ballistic evidence will shed light on what type of bullet was fired from the gun and how it got there.

Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded when a revolver Baldwin was using during rehearsal was unloaded.

Baldwin, the director, and other cast and crew members were also interviewed. No charges have yet been advanced.

Before the incident, the camera operators had left the set to protest the working conditions.

In his first public statement about the incident, Baldwin’s wife Hilaria said Monday that “it is impossible to express the shock and pain of such a tragic accident”.

“My heart is with Halyna. Her husband. Her son. Their family and loved ones. And my Alec,” she posted on Instagram.

Elsewhere, a t-shirt stating, “Guns Don’t Kill People, Alec Baldwin Kills People” sold for $ 27.99 (£ 20.32) on a merchandising site linked to Donald Trump Jr, the ex’s son. president of the United States – which Baldwin routinely mocked on Saturday Night Live.

Many criticized the t-shirts but Trump Jr defended the product, tweeting: “Spare me your false sanctity.”

Meanwhile, Flint: Who Can You Trust ?, a Baldwin-narrated environmental documentary, has been postponed, the director said, following the fatal shooting.

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