Filming For 'The Last Of Us' Was Reportedly Shut Down In Alberta When A Gunman Appeared

Production for the Alberta-shot series The Last Of Us had to be shut down for over an hour last year after a gunman was spotted pointing an airsoft rifle toward the crew.

In a court hearing on Monday, Rose Lam, an executive producer of the show, testified that cast and crew felt they were in "serious danger" and were effectively in a lockdown for 90 minutes while police arrested the gunman, the Calgary Sun reported.

Police reportedly found the airsoft rifle in the home of the accused – 19-year-old Reece Wadden. Wadden denied intending to harm anyone and said he was using the scope of the rifle, which looks like an assault weapon, to look at the film shoot taking place outside his apartment on 51 Street in Olds, Alberta.

According to the Calgary Sun, Wadden said the gun was pointing at the window sill and reiterated it was not pointed at the crew when questioned by defence lawyer Peter Tesi.

Filming for the series took place all over Alberta, including Calgary, Edmonton, Canmore, Fort MacLeod and High River, but the incident took place shortly after midnight on June 1, 2022 in Olds.

According to Lam, the incident cost around US$54,000 in salaries for the cast and crew, who all had to be taken to a safe location.

Lam told Calgary regional Crown prosecutor Alyx Nanji the incident had interrupted filming for the first episode of the show when a truck carrying Pedro Pascal and Nico Parker is hit by a police car. The producer said only one take was able to be captured that night due to the necessary lockdown.

“We all felt we were in danger, serious danger,” she told Nanji. “Everybody was basically in lockdown.”

In the hearing, head of security Dustin Austin said stars of the show, including Pascal and Bella Ramsey, were included in those who had to take cover after the armed man was spotted with a rifle in a second-floor window.

The show's costume assistant Steven Oben spotted the rifle first and recounted that the individual was “just looking down the barrel into the street.”

“I was scared that somebody was gonna get hurt,” he added.

Firearms expert Constable Stefan Ciccone also told the court the rifle could have caused serious harm if a projectile struck someone in the eye.

Wadden faces three charges of mischief, unlawful use of an imitation firearm to commit mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Final arguments will be heard in court on Tuesday, March 7.