(ProsperNews.net) – A movie armorer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter following the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the film Rust, starring Alec Baldwin. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed faces a prison sentence of 18 months for loading a Colt .45 pistol with live ammunition. This was then fired by Baldwin and hit cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died later in hospital. Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted on a second charge of tampering with evidence.
The incident happened in New Mexico in 2021 while actors rehearsed a scene. An initial criminal case against Hollywood star Baldwin was dismissed but revived in February when a grand jury indicted him on involuntary manslaughter charges. He waived his right to an arraignment and entered a not-guilty plea via his attorneys. The First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, released Mr. Baldwin without bond, and he faces trial later this year.
Baldwin insists he had no part in Hutchins’ death and was told at the time that the gun was “cold” and contained only blanks. He also said the weapon fired without him pulling the trigger, but prosecutors refiled the indictment after a forensics expert testified that it could not have fired under those circumstances.
At the time of the shooting, the actor said he would cooperate fully with law enforcement and expressed his condolences to the cinematographer’s family. “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna,” he said.
The movie’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured and treated for a shoulder wound. Court documents suggest that assistant director David Halls believed the gun was unloaded and shouted “cold gun” on the set. Later discoveries, however, revealed that Wells was fired from the set of a war drama called Freedom’s Path for gun safety violations when a crew member suffered a “minor injury” after a firearm unexpectedly discharged a live bullet.
Alec Baldwin later told ABC that the incident may end his career.
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