Crew Member Yelled ‘Cold Gun’ While Handing Prop Weapon To Alec Baldwin: Report

An assistant director yelled “cold gun” as he handed a prop weapon to Alec Baldwin, which the actor fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

CNN reported that court documents show assistant director David Halls yelled “cold gun” to indicate that the prop weapon did not contain live rounds. Halls handed Baldwin one of three prop guns that had been set up by an armorer, unaware that the prop gun contained a live round, according to an affidavit for a search warrant obtained by KOAT.

Bryan Carpenter, an armorer and weapons master in the film industry, told CNN that “cold guns” shouldn’t be loaded, especially during rehearsals.

“You have to make sure that the weapon is truly cold, which means there should have been no rounds in there, period. And especially if it’s a rehearsal,” Carpenter told the outlet.

Carpenter also insisted that prop guns should be inspected by two people to ensure they’re “cold” before anyone handles them on set.

Insider reported that the head armorer on the set, 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had said a month ago that she wasn’t sure if she was “ready” to take the job on “Rust.”

“It was also my first time being head armorer as well,” Gutierrez-Reed said, according to the outlet. “I almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but, doing it, like, it went really smoothly.”

The tragedy occurred on Thursday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for the upcoming film “Rust.” He fired the fake gun, thinking it wasn’t loaded, and ended up shooting Hutchins in the chest and injuring Souza. The Daily Wire reported Friday on an eyewitness description of the shooting:

A person who allegedly witnessed the fatal incident has since come forward to detail what happened. According to the witness, it was one bullet, potentially real ammunition, that discharged from the gun during the accident.

“[T]he bullet went straight through the body of DP Halyna Hutchins and into the clavicle of the film’s director Joel Souza,” said a report from Showbiz411. “Very quickly the set was locked down. Ambulance and helicopters arrived. Hutchins and Souza were sent straight to the hospital. Hutchins died en route in a helicopter.”

Baldwin was apparently on the ground, “in shock but composed.”

The witness said the 63-year-old actor repeatedly asked why he was given a “hot gun.” As noted by the outlet, a “hot gun” is a gun with real ammunition.

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