The gun that Rust actor Alec Baldwin used to accidentally kill cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming Thursday was reportedly used by crew members hours before the incident to shoot at beer cans, an insider with knowledge of the set has revealed.
The individual, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Wrap, divulged to the outlet that several crew members on the film's Santa Fe set had taken several prop guns out the morning of the incident to go 'plinking' - a hobby in which people shoot at beer cans with live ammunition to pass the time.
According to the insider, the round of unsanctioned target practice occurred just hours before Baldwin discharged one of the weapons again, this time while filming a scene, accidentally shooting director Joel Souza and Hutchins.
Actor Alec Baldwin unknowingly fired the gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of his new film in Santa Fe, after being told by the film's assistant director that the gun wasn't loaded
Halyna Hutchins, 42, a Ukranian filmmaker and journalist and cinematographer on the film, succumbed to her injuries after the accidental shooting
While Souza was hit in the shoulder and was not critically wounded, Hutchins, 42, succumbed to her injuries later that day.
Prior to the incident, first assistant director David Halls told crew members that the revolver being handled by Baldwin, the film's lead actor and producer, was a 'cold gun,' a term used by filmmakers to indicate that a prop gun is safe to handle and not loaded with live ammunition.
The weapon was one of three prop guns that the film's rookie armorer, Hanna Gutierrez Reed, 24, had set up outside the set location on a gray cart, in the desert near the city of Santa Fe.
According to search warrant executed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office last week, Gutierrez Reed was the last person to handle the gun, leaving it along with the two other revolvers unattended on the cart in the early hours of October 21.
It is at this point, the insider reveals, that a group of crew members took the weapons without the director and first director's knowledge, and forgot to unload the firearm in question.
Representatives for the production of Rust did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on the matter, but in a previous statement issued to multiple outlets, Rust Movie Productions said: 'The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company.
According to search warrant executed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office last week, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed was the last person to handle the gun, leaving it along with the two other revolvers unattended on the cart in the early hours of October 21
Rookie armorer Gutierrez Reed, 24, was the last person to handle the firearm, before it was swiped by crew members for a round of unsanctioned target practice
'Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down.
'We will
