‘Rust’ armorer faced tearful testimony and claims of ‘unprofessional’ handling of guns in first week of trial
The first week of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s criminal trial was marked by a series of eyewitness accounts from those who were on set when “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot with a prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin.
The first week of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s criminal trial was marked by a series of eyewitness accounts from those who were on set when “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot with a prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin.
The case centers on how a live round of ammunition found its way onto the film’s set and into the gun that Baldwin was holding on Oct. 21, 2021. Dave Halls, the film’s first assistant director, who handed the gun to Baldwin that fired a live bullet that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, was among the witnesses and experts who took the stand this week at a courthouse in New Mexico. Baldwin has maintained he did not pull the gun’s trigger.
Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on set at the time of the incident, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering and faces three years in prison. She has pleaded not guilty.
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