The gun used in a fatal shooting on a movie set in New Mexico earlier this week had been declared safe to use by a crew member just before it was discharged, court records show. The shooting happened hours after some workers walked off the job to protest safety conditions on set.

During a Thursday rehearsal for the Western film Rust, assistant director Dave Halls grabbed a prop gun from a cart at a Santa Fe movie ranch and handed it to lead actor Alec Baldwin, according to the records that were made public Friday.

“Cold gun,” Halls yelled, using a phrase meant to declare