Assistant director on 'Rust' said firearms on set didn't have live fire or obstructions 'most of the time'

• "Rust" assistant director Dave Halls told police that the firearms used on set did not contain live fire "most of the time."
• Halls also said he did not confirm all bullets in the barrel of the gun used in the on-set shooting were "dummy" rounds.
• Halls described the gun-safety protocols to investigators, according to police documents.

"Rust" assistant director Dave Halls told police that the firearms used on set did not contain live fire "most of the time," according to a newly released search warrant.

"I check the barrel for obstructions, most of the time there is no live fire," Halls told Santa Fe investigators, according to a new affidavit obtained by Insider.

Actor Alec Baldwin had fired a prop gun during a rehearsal on set, killing "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

Halls described the procedure for gun safety on set to police, saying Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on set, "opens the hatch and spins the drum, and I say cold gun on set."

After the fatal shooting, Halls said he took the gun to Gutierrez-Reed who then opened it. Halls told police that he saw only four "dummy" bullets - all of which had a distinctive hole on the side - and one without a hole.

Halls also revealed he did not check that all of the rounds in the barrel of the gun used in the on-set shooting were dummy bullets.

The assistant director told police that the incident was "not a deliberate act."

Halls did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

In a press conference Wednesday, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the bullet discharged from the gun was made of lead and that it was recovered from Souza's shoulder.

Authorities have not ruled out charges in the deadly incident.