Assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin firearm had been 'fired over gun safety' previously

The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin a firearm that went off on set, killing a cinematographer, had been sacked from a previous job after a gun went off on a set and wounded one of the film crew, a producer has said.

It comes as producers of Baldwin’s movie officially halted filming and court records showed investigators seized more than two dozen items from the set on the day after the shooting.

In a statement seen by ITV News, a producer for the movie Freedom’s Path said 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 Halls "was removed from the set immediately." Production did not resume until Halls was gone.

Halls has not responded to requests for comment.

The producer is the second person to air doubts about Halls’ safety record.

On Sunday, another crew member who worked with 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 Halls’ behaviour.

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Ms Goll said in a phone interview that 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, she said, adding that crew safety was a top issue in contract negotiations between a union and a major 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."

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