Dave Halls was FIRED from 2019 movie after gun misfired and injured crew member
The shot that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the ‘Rust’ film set was fired as actor Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun, according to director Joel Souza who was injured in the shooting. Souza was shot in the shoulder and Hutchins was killed when the prop gun went off during a rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday, October 21. Later it was found that the gun was handed to Baldwin by assistant director Dave Halls, who reportedly shouted "cold gun" (not loaded) before handing over the firearm.
An internal investigation has now revealed that Halls was the subject of complaints about safety and his behavior on set during two productions in 2019. Two people who worked closely with him told CNN that the complaints against Halls include a disregard for safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics use, blocked fire lanes and exits, and instances of inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. In fact, in 2019, he was fired from the production of 'Freedom's Path' for injuring a sound crew member with a firearm accident.
RELATED ARTICLES
Who is Hannah Gutierrez? Armorer who brought live gun on set of 'Rush' identified
Alec Baldwin's 2017 tweet about ‘wrongful killing' by cop unearthed amid shooting tragedy
According to IMDb, Dave Halls is an assistant director and an actor. Some of the film credits to his name include 'The Matrix Reloaded', "Brawl in Cell Block 99', and 'Fargo'. According to LinkedIn, he has been an AD for feature films, TV series, and commercials since 1990. Other titles to his credit include 'A Simple Plan', 'Simpatico', 'The Naked Man', 'Down in the Valley', and 'Bad Santa' amongst others. According to the Sun, Halls also worked on 'The Crow: Salvation', the sequel to the 1993 film 'The Crow' where actor Brandon Lee was tragically killed in a similar gun mishap.
During the filming of 'Freedom's Path' with Rocket Soul Studios in 2019, Dave Halls was initially appointed as the assistant director. Under his supervision, one of the guns on set "unexpectedly discharged" and injured a member of the sound crew. According to CNN reports, the crew member recoiled from the shot and needed urgent medical treatment. He also took multiple days to recover and return to work.
Meanwhile, Halls was canned from the project due to his callousness resulting in a grievous injury. At that time, Halls was reportedly "very remorseful for the events, and understood the reasons he was being terminated."
A spokesperson from Rocket Soul Studios further mentioned, "A new assistant director, as well as a new armorer, were hired for the duration of principal photography. Production of the film finished successfully.”
The recording of a 911 call from the set of 'Rust' has been released, where script supervisor Mamie Mitchell can be heard saying, "the f**king AD that yelled at me at lunch, asking about revisions.” On the recording, she adds: “He’s supposed to check the guns. He’s responsible for what happens on the set.”
It is uncertain where Halls is right now. He is unavailable on social media and has not spoken to the press as of yet.