He is "shocked and sad".
The assistant director who gave actor Alec Baldwin the loaded gun that killed a filmmaker on the set of the film "Rust" spoke on Monday for the first time since the drama.
David Halls' role in the Oct. 21 crash in New Mexico has been the subject of much speculation since he told investigators he should have checked the weapon but failed to do so.
In a statement to the New York Post, David Halls says he is "shocked and sad" after the death of the director of photography of the western, Halyna Hutchins, but he does not comment on the drama or its role.
“Halyna Hutchins was not only one of the most talented people I worked with, she was also a friend,” he writes.
"I hope that this tragedy will encourage the (film) industry to review its values and practices" to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, adds David Halls.
VIDEO.
Fatal shot on set: Alec Baldwin "devastated"
With the gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, David Halls was in charge of the weapons on the set of "Rust" and had to make sure that they were indeed harmless before putting them on the set. According to the first statements from the police officers, the assistant director told them that he "should have checked" that all the cartridges in the revolver used by Alec Baldwin to rehearse a scene were fictitious but that he "did not have it. not done ".
Live ammunition accidentally fired by Baldwin fatally wounded Halyna Hutchins and ended up in the shoulder of director Joel Souza.
Last weekend, the actor himself spoke for the first time about the accident, lamenting a tragedy that had "a chance in a trillion" to occur.
He said he could not comment on the facts while the investigation is ongoing.
To read also Fatal shooting with Alec Baldwin: how is the use of firearms in the cinema supervised?
The day before the shooting, a member of the team had resigned, citing in particular concerns about safety on the set, according to the NBC channel.
“There have already been two accidental weapon discharges, and a planned special effects explosion that went off near the crew between takes… To be clear, there is no safety meeting these days. these days, ”Lane Luper said in an email announcing his resignation, quoted by the media.
An online petition calling for a definitive ban on live firearms on filming had collected nearly 100,000 signatures on Monday.
Its promoters argue that it is easy to add visual and sound effects to dummy weapons during post-production of films.
"This should not have happened again" laments Brandon Lee's sister
A measure also demanded by Shannon Lee, the sister of actor Brandon Lee, fatally injured in 1993 on set at the age of 28. Although she doesn't think "it's a popular idea in the industry right now." Shannon Lee also said on Monday that actors who handle guns on film sets should be pre-trained for safety reasons. “They don't get training in how to handle weapons. (…) I think that safety training (should be) compulsory so that actors can check the weapons for themselves and know how to use them properly and ensure the safety of others, ”said Shannon Lee. to AFP at the International Festival of Asian Cinemas (FICA) in Los Angeles.
The daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee said she was "frustrated" by the tragedy that occurred during the filming of "Rust".
"This should not have happened again," she lamented.
