The assistant who gave the gun to Alec Baldwin breaks his silence

• Baldwin case What is known about the Baldwin case: Accusations, carelessness and inappropriate games with a weapon that should have been 'props'

• Alec Baldwin's first words The actor after accidentally killing a woman on set: "It was an episode of one in a billion"

• Courts Alec Baldwin's large fortune with which he would have to respond to a civil lawsuit

• Baldwin case Alec Baldwin's 'cursed' assistant and a suspicious gunsmith

The man who handed actor Alec Baldwin the loaded gun that killed the cinematographer on the set of the western

expressed his shock and sadness on Monday, in his first public comments since the tragedy that mourned Hollywood.

David Halls,

assistant director

, has been in the eye of the storm since he admitted in questioning with police that he had not fully checked the gun he handed to Baldwin prior to the incident that killed Halyna Hutchins in a filming set in New Mexico.

In a statement sent to the

Monday, Halls acknowledged being

by Hutchins' death, but did not refer directly to the shooting or to his participation in the chain of events.

"Halyna Hutchins was not only one of the most talented people I have ever worked with, but she was also a friend," Halls wrote.

"I hope

to ensure that no one is hurt during the creative process," he added.

Along with gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Halls was responsible for handling and checking guns on set, and announcing when a gun was "cold," the jargon used in the movies to advise that a gun is unloaded.

Halls told detectives that he

.

"But I didn't," he acknowledged, according to information included in the search warrants that authorities used to enter the Bonanza Creek Ranch, the location where the incident occurred.

A bullet fired by Baldwin during rehearsal went through Halyna Hutchins' body and hit the film's director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder.

Hutchins, 42, died of the injury.

Some

from sets, noting that some desired effects, such as loud sound or flashing, can easily be added in post-production.

In his statement, Halls also said he is "overwhelmed with love and support."

"My feelings go out to everyone who knew and loved Halyna," he wrote.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to Afp's questions.

Their statement comes two days after the first comments were made by Baldwin, 63, who told reporters that the tragedy was "an episode of one in a billion."

The American actor said he was advised not to speak about the shooting because the investigation is ongoing.

The prosecution has not ruled out filing charges for the shooting

.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the live bullets "shouldn't be" at the shooting location.

"There was some complacency on this set," he opined.

Those comments were reinforced by an NBC report, in which a member of

camera crew

resigned the day before the shooting, citing significant safety concerns surrounding firearms and explosives on set.

Camera assistant Lane Luper wrote to the producers in his resignation email that the

"So far there have been two accidental gun discharges and an accidental explosion of special effects near equipment between takes," Luper wrote in the email, according to NBC.

"To be clear, there were NO security meetings these days."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• culture

• cinema

• Alec baldwin

• USA

The investigation into Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting focuses on the custody of the weapon

CineAlec Baldwin rehearsing a shot towards the camera when he made the fatal shot

Malcolm McDowell remembers when Franco let us see 'A Clockwork Orange' the year he died

See links of interest

• La Palma direct

• Last News

• Holidays 2021

• 2022 business calendar

• How to do

• Home THE WORLD TODAY

• Rayo Vallecano - Celta de Vigo

• Sporting Braga - Portimonense

• Wolverhampton Wanderers - Everton

• Levante - Granada CF

• Moreirense - Paços de Ferreira