The gunsmith from the film “Rust”, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Halyna Hutchin on the set in October 2021. Alec Baldwin will be tried in a few months.
Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter this Wednesday, March 6, 2024 in New Mexico. October 21, 2021, on the set of the film Rust in Sante Fe, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally injured when a weapon supposedly containing blank bullets was fired by Alex Baldwin, while the director, Joel Souza, was injured. She faces up to 18 months in prison and has been placed in detention.
The gunsmith was 25 years old at the time of filming. Rust and was found to be inexperienced in the supervision and handling of firearms. During the ten days of the trial which took place in New Mexico, images from the filming were shown: actor Alec Baldwin could be seen handling firearms and pointing them at other members of the crew. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed never intervened. The prosecutor also criticized the gunsmith for not having been present when the actor was getting ready and for having left around twenty weapons unattended, “contrary to all the standards which govern the work of gunsmiths on trays”.
For its part, the defense argued that the production had employed the armorer part-time, but also as a props assistant, in order to reduce the costs of the film. A firearms expert on the film sets, called to the stand, for his part estimated that other gunsmiths would have been needed on the set to supervise all the weapons necessary for the scenes.
Alec Baldwin on trial in a few months
If the responsibility of the gunsmith Rust was engaged, it was Alec Baldwin who fired the fatal shot. The widower of Halyna Hutchins had abandoned the civil proceedings against the actor at the end of 2022, following an agreement, but the actor still remains accused of involuntary manslaughter. He always denied pulling the trigger and blamed the gun. Alec Baldwin is due to go to trial next July.