Alec Baldwin was practicing scenes for the film “Rust” in 2021 when it is claimed he activated the trigger on a prop firearm, resulting in the discharge of a live round. This incident led to the death of one individual and inflicted a gunshot wound on another. Recently, a jury has reached a verdict, finding someone culpable in connection with the incident.
March 6 saw the conclusion of a trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Additionally, the jury acquitted the armorer of evidence tampering allegations, which claimed she had passed a small bag of drugs to a crew member following the incident. Following the jury’s verdict, the judge ordered Gutierrez-Reed to be taken into custody.
In October 2021, a tragic shooting resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza. The incident occurred when Baldwin directed a firearm at Hutchins during a rehearsal on the film set. Baldwin maintains that he did not intentionally discharge the weapon, stating that he only pulled back the hammer but did not pull the trigger. However, he has been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The jury determined that Gutierrez-Reed was negligent for not verifying that all the rounds loaded into the firearm were inert. It was against protocol for live rounds to be present on the set. Prosecutors accused her of being the individual responsible for introducing the live bullets onto the set.
Throughout the inquiry, the accused directed a lieutenant from the sheriff’s department to the location where she stored the ammunition and firearms. Specifically, she indicated a box of ammunition, claiming to have retrieved rounds from it for loading into the firearm. The box was marked “45 LONG COLT DUMMIES.” However, authorities discovered a live round inside the box. Additionally, two more live rounds were found on the gun cart, one in Baldwin’s gun belt, and a fifth in the belt of another individual involved in the incident.
The armorer shouldn’t be held responsible for the occurrence, the defense said. Rather, they sought to hold the gun dealer, Seth Kenney, accountable for the live bullets discovered within the weapon. Kenney denied taking any blame throughout his testimony. Reporters were informed by juror Alberto Sanchez of the jury’s conviction that the defendant had carried live ammunition onto the scene. Gutierrez-Reed may get a sentence of up to eighteen months imprisonment.
