Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene where he had to point the gun at the "camera lens" when the weapon suddenly fired.
Director Joel Souza told authorities in a sworn deposition.
Souza was injured by the shot while director of photography Halyna Hutchins died.
Souza's description explains why Baldwin pointed the gun at the camera but offers no clarification as to why the gun contained real ammunition. Souza explained to investigators that he was convinced the gun was unloaded because of the 'cold gun' scream that preceded its use. The director then added how guns on the set of Rust were usually controlled by gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and assistant director Dave Halls.
In the meantime
, the petition to ban the use of real weapons on film sets
after the Rust tragedy with the death of director of photography Halyna Hutchins
has already exceeded
25 thousand signatures
.
"We need to make sure that an avoidable tragedy like this doesn't happen again. There is no excuse: such a thing shouldn't happen in the 21st century. Real guns are no longer needed on sets," reads the petition on Change.org.
