The previous problem of the person who gave the gun to Alec Baldwin

Report 2 shots before fatal shot in "Rust" 1:36

(CNN) -

  The assistant director of "Rust" was fired from a previous film after a gun incident injured a member of the production.

The assistant director of the film "Rust," who handed Alec Baldwin a prop gun before the fatal shooting last week, was previously fired from a film production after a gun incident injured a crew member, he said. the film's production company to CNN.

Dave Halls was serving as an assistant director on the 2019 film Freedom's Path, when a gun went off unexpectedly on set, causing a sound crew member to be affected by the noise of the blast, forcing him to stop. production, producer Rocket Soul Studios said Monday.

Assistant director who gunned Alec Baldwin in "Rust" was the subject of complaints in 2019

The sound crew member was evaluated by a doctor on set and recommended to seek medical treatment.

The person returned to production a few days later, Rocket Soul said.

Following the incident, Halls was removed from the set and fired from production, the company said.

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Halls was removed from the set immediately after the prop gun was fired.

Production did not resume filming until Dave was off-site.

At that time an incident report was made and filed, ”he said.

"After finishing production for the day, Dave Halls was officially fired and given the specific reasons for his firing," the company continued.

“Dave was very sorry for the events and understood the reasons why he was being fired.

A new assistant director and a new weapons officer were hired for the duration of principal photography.

Production of the film ended successfully. "

When contacted by CNN, the sound crew member declined to comment on the matter.

Halls could not be reached for comment.

The director of "Rust" told authorities that Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun when the shot occurred.

Members of the "Rust" production describe unsafe conditions on the previous set before the assistant director was fired

Three team members who worked alongside "Rust" assistant director David Halls on the other movie in which a gun "went off unexpectedly" in 2019 detailed to CNN what they called unsafe conditions before Halls was fired from the project. .

The three members of the production recalled details of an incident during the filming of "Freedom's Path" where a muzzle-loading rifle in the style of the 1800s unexpectedly went off during a scene, causing a sound operator to sustain ear injuries. internal due to the sound of the explosion.

The production members, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation from the industry, said they were concerned for the safety of the crew and cast members on set even before the misfire.

David Halls (Credit: IMDb)

All three said the production did not hold regular safety meetings, contrary to typical industry practice.

“He was a person with enough red flags that they should have finished his career by now.

Yet he was still out there, putting people in scandalous situations.

It's hard to think that Halyna could also have been one of our team people, ”said one of them.

"It was too close."

Rocket Soul said in a statement that it "cannot comment on any conversations that may or may not have taken place individually between Dave Halls and members of the production."

CNN has asked the company about statements from members regarding regular safety meetings.

Halls, as well as Rockhill Studios, another "Freedom's Path" production company, did not respond to requests for comment from CNN.

According to the three members who testified, the weapons officer was not on set at the time of the 2019 incident, a breach of protocol;

instead, an extra in production was put in charge of handling the firearm for the scene, team members said.

In a statement to CNN, Rocket Soul Studios denied that an extra was hired as a gunsmith, saying that a gunsmith was required to be on set in every case there was a gun.

Moments before the accidental discharge, a member of the production said that the weapon was advertised as a "no fire" or "cold weapon" for the scene.

A second member of the team said they asked several times if the weapon was authorized for use in the shooting and did not receive a clear answer.

Two team members said that some rifles used in the making of the film were filled with gunpowder, but did not contain projectiles.

The rifle that failed was not supposed to load at all, they said.

The accidental discharge disoriented a boom operator, who sustained injuries to his inner ear and required medical attention after experiencing hearing loss and balance problems, according to crew members.

When contacted by phone on Sunday, the sound operator acknowledged the incident but did not comment further on the matter.

The movie "Freedom's Path" will be released in 2022, according to the Rocket Soul website.

Production of "Rust" will be stopped indefinitely

In a letter sent to the cast and crew of "Rust" on Sunday, the production team behind the project announced that it would stop work on the film's set in New Mexico "at least until investigations are completed."

With information from Chloe Melas

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