The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun on the set of 'Rust' was fired from a film in 2019 after a gun unexpectedly discharged

• An assistant director told Alec Baldwin the prop gun that killed Halyna Hutchins was not loaded.
• In 2019, David Halls was fired from a film after a gun accidentally discharged, NBC News reported.

The assistant director on the set of "Rust" who handed actor Alec Baldwin the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fired from a film in 2019 over an incident involving an accidental gun discharge, several outlets reported.

An unnamed producer for "Freedom's Path" told NBC News and Deadline that David Halls was removed from the set immediately after a crew member was injured when a gun unexpectedly went off.

"I can confirm that Dave Halls was fired from the set of 'Freedom's Path' in 2019 after a crew member incurred a minor and temporary injury when a gun was unexpectedly discharged," the producer told Deadline.

The producer told NBC that Halls was "remorseful" about the incident and "understood" why he was being fired.

It's not clear what the crew members' injuries were exactly, but the producer told NBC the crew member "recoiled after the blast" and was told to get further medical attention by the on-site medic.

A former colleague of Halls has also previously told NBC News that he had a history of not maintaining a "safe working environment."

"He did not maintain a safe working environment," Maggie Goll, a prop maker who worked with Halls on Hulu's "Into the Dark" said in the statement to NBC. "Sets were almost always allowed to become increasingly claustrophobic, no established fire lanes, exits blocked ... safety meetings were nonexistent."

An affidavit said Baldwin fired the prop gun that killed Hutchins on Thursday after Halls told him it was a "cold gun," meaning it didn't have any live rounds in it.

Director Joel Souza was also injured and treated at a nearby hospital. He was later discharged.

The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau is conducting an ongoing investigation into the shooting.

Insider could not reach Halls, and he did not respond to request to NBC News or Deadline's request for comment. Bondit Media Capital, the production company for "Rust" did not respond to Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.