Asst. Director Who Gave Alec Baldwin 'Cold' Gun Has History of Unsafe Work Conditions: Prop Maker

A pyrotechnician and prop maker said tha Dave Halls, who told actor Alec Baldwin that a prop gun was not loaded prior to a fatal shooting on set, had a history of unsafe work conditions.

Maggie Goll, who previously worked with Halls, alleged that "he did not maintain a safe working environment."

She told Newsweek in a statement on Sunday that movie sets where Halls worked were "almost always allowed to become increasingly claustrophobic, no established fire lanes, exits blocked...safety meetings were nonexistent."

She also said that "the lack of proper gun safety knowledge and experience is endemic in the film industry."

Baldwin was on the set of his upcoming western movie Rust, which was being filmed near Santa Fe, New Mexico, when Halls handed him the prop gun and claimed it was a "cold" weapon.

On Thursday, police said Baldwin used the prop gun that discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring writer-director Joel Souza.

Goll said she will instigate a formal report Monday that will include many first-hand accounts about working with Halls

"There is absolutely no reason that gun safety should be ignored on set, even when it is a non-firing prop firearm," Goll said in her statement.

According to NBC News, Rust Movies Productions said it was unaware of any official complaints about weapon safety on set.

Newsweek contacted Rust Movies Productions for comments but didn't hear back in time for publishing.

Goll thinks that live rounds on set should be deemed "absolutely a criminal event." She explained that guns, whether real or prop, should be brought to the set under certain conditions.

This includes having an experienced prop master, a licensed and experienced armorer, and never pointing the gun at people. She also said a non-firing stand-in prop could have been used for rehearsal.

"Under no circumstances should a 'live round' be anywhere near set," she said.

Goll also alleged that in one instance when a lead pyrotechnician experienced a medical emergency, Halls attempted to resume filming despite the set becoming an unsafe work environment.

She said that in her attempt to ensure everyone's safety at that moment, she was "all the while yelling at Dave and squelching him on the radio, as he called out to the rest of the crew that 'Maggie said we can keep going [filming].'"

"To be clear, I told him they are free to film whatever they want, but that there would be no fire or sparks, etc., until the medic, fire safety officer, and all of my crewmates were safely back on set," Goll noted.

"At first he seemed like an older, affable first [assistant director] with the usual run of idiosyncrasies, but that facade soon disappeared," she said.

Goll said that when she was working on the set of Hulu's Into the Dark anthology series in 2019, Halls neglected to inform workers that there was a weapon on set.

"The only reason the crew was made aware of a weapon's presence was because the assistant prop master demanded Dave acknowledge and announce the situation each day," Goll said.

"[The assistant prop master would] announce each day when a gun would be required on camera, the disposition of that weapon—whether it was a rubber/plastic replica, a non-firing option, or a 'cold' functional, but unloaded option, allowing anyone to inspect said weapon prior to bringing it to set and presenting it to the talent," she added.

She added that this assistant prop master would be keen on reclaiming any distributed weapons before people left the film set and that "they frequently admonished Dave for dismissing the talent [workers] without returning props, weapon included, or failing to make safety announcements."

Goll said the Into the Dark anthology series was the last time she worked with Halls.

In another instance, Goll reportedly claimed that Halls resumed filming on a location during a storm that created an unsafe workspace where wires were exposed to the rain and electrical lights were in the mud.

"For one, I also had to insist and remind Dave to announce the use of practical elements and to establish a safe exit plan and gathering point, in the case of an emergency. Why this wasn't done automatically, after days and weeks of having people tell him to make these announcements, I do not know. He just never got it," Goll said.

As for the incident on Thursday, Goll said, "This was an accident aided by the poor conditions, the meager budget, and the lack of experience and care of the heads of production and the staff they hired to steer that ship. If they had the requisite experience, then they knowingly committed gross negligence," she said.

Police said no charges were filed in the Baldwin shooting incident on Thursday and that the investigation is ongoing.

The story has been updated to include comments from Goll.