The assistant director of Rust, Dave Halls, had been sacked from a previous production over gun safety violations. Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot dead Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western last week.

The producers of Freedom’s Path confirmed to press agency AFP on Monday that Halls had been dismissed in 2019. It came after a crew member “incurred a minor and temporary injury when a gun was unexpectedly discharged”, the statement said. Rocket Soul Studios said Halls could not be reached for a comment. There is no suggestion that Halls was at fault for the Rust incident. The studio’s producers said in a statement sent to the BBC: “First of all, our condolences go out to everyone affected by the recent tragic event in New Mexico. “Halls was removed from set immediately after the prop gun discharged. Production did not resume filming until Dave was off-site. An incident report was taken and filed at that time.”(BBC)…[+]