Trial of ‘Rust’ armorer begins in fatal film rehearsal shooting by Alec Baldwin
SANTA FE, N.M. — Prosecutors delivered an opening statement Thursday at the first trial in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust,” describing a movie weapons supervisor as sloppy and negligent in handling guns and ammunition while skipping basic safety protocols.
Before Baldwin’s case progresses, the weapons supervisor is being tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021, during a rehearsal on a movie ranch outside Santa Fe.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to the charges and says she’s not directly to blame for Hutchins’ death.
Prosecutors said they plan to present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly brought live ammunition onto a film set where it was expressly prohibited. They say the armorer missed multiple opportunities to ensure safety, eventually loading a live round into the gun that killed Hutchins and failing twice to properly check whether rounds were live or dummies.
“We will show you, ladies and gentlemen, that by failing to make those vital safety checks, the defendant acted negligently and without due caution,” special prosecutor Jason Lewis told a jury. “And the decisions that she made that day ultimately contributed to Ms. Hutchins death.”
In court filings and his opening statement Thursday, lead defense counsel Jason Bowles pointed to findings by workplace safety regulators of broad problems that extended beyond the armorer’s control.
“What they’ve tried to do, and what you’re seeing in this courtroom today, is trying to blame it all on Hannah, a 24-year-old. Why? Because she’s an easy target, she’s the least powerful person on that set,” he told jurors.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case.
Prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Lewis initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. A more recent analysis of the gun concluded the “trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
