Baldwin's movie assistant director has a history of on-set complaints

By David Douglas, Alicia Victoria Lozano and Yuliya Talmazan-

LOS ANGELES - The assistant director on the set of

, where Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, used to allow an unsafe work environment to develop in productions, claims a prop maker who worked with him.

At first, Dave Halls "seemed like an older, personable first [assistant director] with the usual string of idiosyncrasies, but that facade soon disappeared," explains prop expert Maggie Goll, who said that in February 2019 she was called in for work on

, a series.  

"He did not maintain a safe work environment," Goll said in a detailed statement to NBC News, the sister network of Noticias Telemundo.

"It

there were no emergency fire lanes established, exits were blocked ... and no safety meetings were held."

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According to court records, Halls handed the prop gun to Baldwin prior to the fatal shooting at the Bonanza Ranch in New Mexico and incorrectly

a standard instruction in the industry.

Halls did not respond to requests for comment on Friday and Saturday.

Goll, an experienced pyrotechnic and special effects technician, said Halls once tried to continue filming even though

In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for Blumhouse Television, which produced

on the Hulu platform, said they could not comment "on personnel matters" when asked about the complaints against Halls.

The weapon Baldwin used, which was supposed to have blanks, had already failed on the New Mexico set,

sources familiar with the situation told NBC News on Friday, prompting several members of the team to withdraw from the set. set hours before the incident that killed Hutchins.

A vigil honoring Halyna Hutchins in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 23, 2021.Andres Leighton / AP

In a statement, Rust Movies Productions said it was not aware of any official complaints regarding the safety of weapons or accessories on set.

Investigators have not said whether the weapon contained blanks.

The 911 call that alerted authorities to the incident demonstrated the panic on set.

“We were rehearsing and we heard the noise.

I ran, we all ran, ”the caller said in the recording provided by the Santa Fe County Regional Emergency Communications Center.

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When Baldwin pulled the trigger, she killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, who was behind her.

Souza, who is recovering after being shot, broke his silence on Saturday and said he was "devastated" by Hutchins' death.

"

, even if it is a backup gun that is not going to be fired," Goll said.

On the set of

, Halls "was not himself" and

on set, Goll added.

"The only reason the team found out about the presence of a weapon was because the assistant propmaster required Dave to announce that situation every day," he said.

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"

without real jurisdiction of the unions over the work, that is known as non-preferential hiring and it is equivalent to poverty wages for the team," he added.

No one has been arrested or charged in the New Mexico shooting and the investigation is ongoing.

Baldwin, 63, known for his roles in

,

and his portrayal of former President Donald Trump on

, has described the murder as a "tragic accident."

The actor is one of the producers of

.