Assistant director of Baldwin film fired after 2019 mishap

LOS ANGELES —The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun that killed a cinematographer last week had been fired from a previous job after a gun went off on a set and wounded a member of the film crew, a producer said Monday.

The disclosure emerged as producers of Mr. Baldwin’s movie officially halted filming, and court records showed that investigators seized more than two dozen items from the set on the day after the shooting.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, a producer for the movie “Freedom’s Path” confirmed that Dave Halls was fired from the 2019 production after a crew member suffered a minor injury “when a gun was unexpectedly discharged.” The producer, who asked not to be identified by name, wrote that Mr. Halls “was removed from the set immediately.” Production did not resume until Mr. Halls was gone.

His firing from “Freedom’s Path” was first reported by CNN. Mr. Halls has not returned phone calls or email messages seeking comment.

The producer is the second person to air doubts about Mr. Halls’ safety record. On Sunday, another crew member who worked with Mr. Halls said she raised concerns about him in 2019.

Maggie Goll, a prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician, said in a statement that she filed an internal complaint with the executive producers of Hulu’s “Into the Dark” series over Mr. Halls’ behavior. Ms. Goll said in a phone interview that Mr. Halls disregarded safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics and tried to continue filming after the supervising pyrotechnician, who was diabetic, lost consciousness on set.

The fatal shooting and previous experiences point to larger safety issues, Ms. Goll said, adding that crew safety was a top issue in recent contract negotiations between a union that represents film and TV workers and a producers’ group.

“This situation is not about Dave Halls. ... It’s in no way one person’s fault,” she said. “It’s a bigger conversation about safety on set and what we are trying to achieve with that culture.”

In an email sent to “Rust” crew members over the weekend, the movie’s production team confirmed that work on the Western has been suspended at least until the investigation is complete. The team said it is working with law enforcement and conducting its own internal safety review. The production company is also offering grief counseling.

“Although our hearts are broken, and it is hard to see beyond the horizon, this is, at the moment, a pause rather than an end,” the email read.

No charges have been filed. Prosecutors and law enforcement officers were expected to provide an update on the investigation Wednesday.

Moments before the shooting, Mr. Baldwin was explaining how he was going to draw the revolver from his holster and where his arm would be positioned, court records show.

The actor had been told that the gun was safe to use for the rehearsal of a scene in which he was supposed to pull out the weapon while sitting in a church pew and point it at the camera, the records said.

Cameraman Reid Russell told a detective that he was unsure whether the weapon was checked before it was handed to Mr. Baldwin, and he did not know why the gun was fired.

The camera was not rolling when the gun went off and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Mr. Russell told authorities, according a search warrant affidavit released Sunday.

Authorities have said that Mr. Halls had handed the weapon to Mr. Baldwin and announced “cold gun,” indicating it was safe.

When asked about how Mr. Baldwin treated firearms on the set, Mr. Russell said the actor was safe, citing an instance when Mr. Baldwin made sure a child actor was not near him when a gun was being discharged.

The affidavit released Sunday also included statements by director Joel Souza, who was standing behind Ms. Hutchins and was wounded.