Alec Baldwin was told prop gun was safe before fatal shooting

The gun was one of three set up by the film's armorer.

Neither Alec Baldwin nor the assistant who handed him the gun knew it was loaded before the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set on Thursday, court records show. A document obtained through a search warrant indicates that the assistant director yelled "cold gun" before the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins, 42, reports NBC. The term "cold gun" refers to the weapon not carrying live rounds, the Santa Fe County sheriff wrote in the court document. The gun in question was one of three prop firearms on a cart that had been set up by the armorer, the document claims. First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said on Friday that the case is still in its preliminary stages of investigation, but the gathering of video, photos, and evidence is the first step in building a picture of the incident. "We were rehearsing, and it went off and I ran out. We all ran out," said a witness on the 911 call. "They were doubled over — the AD and the camerawoman, and the director." Baldwin, 63, released a public statement via Twitter on Friday evening. "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," he said. "I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred. "I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna." Emmy-nominated director Rachel Mason replied: "Thank you. She is my friend. Her son is my family. It was not your fault and her final moments I am certain were spent feeling so happy she was filming you."