‘Rust’ armourer found guilty of fatal on-set shooting
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the on-set armourer who was responsible for handing the gun to Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
The legal conflicts surrounding the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have been ongoing for a while now, but the latest development is the verdict about Gutierrez-Reed’s involvement. After deliberating for two and a half hours, the jury found the armoured responsible for inadequate safety measures.
According to prosecutor Kari Morrissey, Gutierrez-Reed repeatedly neglected safety checks, which directly resulted in the easily avoidable mishap that captured the attention of the entire world.
While the defence attorney referred to the armourer as a “convenient scapegoat”, the evidence of her negligence was enough to convince the jury of a guilty verdict.
“We end exactly where we began — in the pursuit of justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Morrissey told the jury while emphasising the armourer’s involvement. “Hannah Gutierrez failed to maintain firearms safety, making a fatal accident willful and foreseeable.”
“This was a game of Russian roulette every time an actor had a gun with dummies,” Ms Morrissey added while claiming that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly carried live ammunition to the set.
The media attention will now be focused on Baldwin, who is also facing involuntary manslaughter charges for the death of Hutchins. Baldwin’s trial is set to commence on July 9th, 2024.
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