Rust assistant director Dave Halls has broken his silence on the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Halls handed actor and producer Alec Baldwin the weapon that killed the 42-year-old cinematographer on the film’s set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, shouting “cold gun” to indicate it was safe.

Hutchins died in the accidental shooting, while the film’s director Joel Souza was injured. According to court documents, neither Baldwin nor Halls knew the gun was loaded.

In a statement given to the New York Post, Halls has said he is “shocked and saddened” by Hutchins’ death.

“It’s my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again,” he added.

“Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I’ve worked with, but also a friend.”

Baldwin recently said he is in “constant contact” with Hutchins’ family since the tragedy, and said he is “very worried about” them.

“We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened,” Baldwin said.

“A woman died. She was my friend…when I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner.”

He added that he’s been speaking regularly with Hutchins’ “mortified” husband and son.

“The guy is overwhelmed with grief,” he said of her husband. “There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion event. He is in shock, he has a nine-year-old son. We are in constant contact with him because we are very worried about him and his family.”