‘Rust’ armorer convicted ahead of Alec Baldwin trial

The weapons supervisor on the set of the ill-fated film Rust has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

On October 21, 2021 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film, when a live round was discharged from a revolver being used as a prop by Alec Baldwin.

The weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had been on trial charged with involuntary manslaughter, to which she pled not guilty. Baldwin will be on trial for the same charges in July and has also pleaded his innocence.

After three hours of deliberations yesterday (March 6), the jury convicted Gutierrez-Reed, but found her not guilty of tampering with evidence. She could now face up to 18 months in prison.

Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers had argued that problems on the set were beyond her control – there had been delays at the time with six members of the camera crew quitting over late pay and safety conditions and a new crew was subsequently hired.

Prosecutors, however, said that she was to blame for illegally bringing live ammunition on set, and that she rushed the handling of weapons, while failing to warn Baldwin not to point the gun at people or to pull the trigger after a take.

Souza testified at the trial on Friday (March 1) and said that he moved behind Hutchins to get a closer look at the camera angle, but he never saw the gun that shot him.

“I got up behind her just to try to see on the monitor and there was an incredibly loud bang,” he told the court. “This was deafening.”

He saw Gutierrez-Reed after he was shot, and she purportedly said to him: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry Joel.”

In 2021, not long after the incident, Souza said in a new affidavit obtained by The New York Times, that he had been told the gun was safe and was described as a “cold gun” in safety announcements. He revealed that firearms were typically checked by armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed before getting checked again by assistant director Dave Halls, and then handed to actors.

In a statement following the conviction, Ms Hutchins’ parents and her sister said they were “satisfied” with the verdict.

“We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna’s death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions.”

In January, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement defending Baldwin. “An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert,” the union said. “Performers train to perform, and they are not required or expected to be experts on guns or experienced in their use. The industry assigns that responsibility to qualified professionals who oversee their use and handling in every aspect.”

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