Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Shooting: Why Halyna Hutchins Stayed On Set After Crew Walkout

Halyna Hutchins stayed behind on the set of "Rust" Thursday despite a film crew walkout that day because she "felt the responsibility for everyone else's job there," according to actor Jonathan McAbee.

Hutchins, the cinematographer who died in an accidental shooting on the New Mexico set of the Alec Baldwin film, remained on location after a number of the film's crew members left the set Thursday due to alleged safety issues.

McAbee, who knew Hutchins and has spoken to people on the film's set, spoke with People Saturday about the late cinematographer's dedication to her work and how she was always thinking of others, sometimes before even thinking of herself.

"She's the one responsible for how this [film's] gonna look," McAbee explained while attending a candlelight vigil for Hutchins, noting that production of the project "rest[ed] on her shoulders" given her role as cinematographer.

"She put her heart and soul into everything she did, and even after losing her whole crew — who walked off in protest — she stayed because she felt the responsibility for everyone else's job there," he continued. "If she left, production's over and that's what? Another 30 people's jobs, livelihoods?"

McAbee added that live firearms need to be banned from movie sets, explaining that there's a "risk" every time a live firearm of any type is brought into a filming location.

"There's no reason why an actor cannot fake a recoil," he said. "And if I was on this show, I would have walked off too."

Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the set of his Western-themed film at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Thursday, killing Hutchins, who was the film’s director of photography, and injuring director Joel Souza. The latter has since been released from the hospital.

IATSE Local 44 Chapter, a union that represents crew workers in Hollywood, sent an email to members stating there was no union prop master on set on the day of the shooting incident, Deadline reported.

Baldwin was unknowingly handed a gun loaded with live ammunition during rehearsals, the Associated Press reported, citing a search warrant affidavit. Assistant director Dave Hall picked up a prop gun from a rolling cart prepared by armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and handed it to Baldwin, the affidavit said.

Earlier this week, a message was shared from a member of the "Rust" camera team on the IA Members Unite's Instagram Story that said there was a walkout after some members of the camera crew wrote resignation letters the night before the incident.

Some crew members working on the movie "didn't feel safe" on the set, an unnamed production source told People.

A half-dozen camera operators and their assistants left the set in protest of tiring working conditions, long hours and long commutes, the Los Angeles Times reported. Some also expressed concern about safety protocols, including gun inspections, not being strictly followed on the set, sources told the outlet.

"We've now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe," an alleged text message sent by a colleague to the unit production manager read, according to the L.A. Times.

Baldwin released a statement about the tragedy via Twitter Friday, saying that he has spoken with Hutchins' family and that he was "fully cooperating" with the police investigation.

No charges have been filed thus far in connection with the incident.