Alec Baldwin Faces A Grand Jury For ‘Rust’ Shooting After The Armorer’s Trial Reveals Video Of Him Rushing Her To Reload Guns

Alec Baldwin is in trouble yet again as new evidence from the trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Rust‘s lead armorer, could land him with an involuntary manslaughter charge for his involvement in the 2021 Rust shooting. When a live round was discharged from a prop gun, fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza, Baldwin was the one holding the smoking gun.

The three-time Emmy Award winner was indicted with involuntary manslaughter in January of 2023, but the charges were dropped in April. Then, in January of 2024, a grand jury indicted Baldwin again on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. His trial is set for July, and with the evidence that was presented in Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. If found guilty, Baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison.

'Rust' Lead Armorer Found Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins, and will be sentenced in April. She also faces up to 18 months in prison. Some of the evidence that was used during her trial, during which she attempted to shift all blame to Baldwin, will now be used against him in his trial in July.

One piece of evidence is a clip showing Baldwin on set as Harland Rust, his character in Rust, shooting blanks from a revolver while backing away. As he does this, he says, "One more, one more, one more! Right away, right away, let's reload!"

Bryan Carpenter, a veteran armorer and expert witness for Gutierrez-Reed's trial, testified saying that "rushing with firearms and telling someone to rush with firearms is not normal nor accepted," and that Gutierrez-Reed should've used her authority as the lead armorer to slow the process down.

Dave Halls, Rust's first assistant director, actually defended Baldwin in response to this clip. "There was never any Mr. Baldwin rushing anybody," he said. Rather, it was an actor excited to film while in the heat of the moment.

Baldwin ‘Cut Corners’ on Safety Standards for Financial Gain

The lead armorer’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, stated that “additional safety training was denied” by Baldwin “due to financial motives.” In response, the state ordered Rust Movie Productions to hand over documents that may prove this claim, which the production company called an “obvious phishing expedition.” Nonetheless, the documents are now in the hands of special prosecutors, and the evidence appears to be stacking up against Baldwin.

‘I did not pull the trigger’ Baldwin Claims

The three-time Golden Globe Award winner continues to deny having pulled the trigger of the prop gun, and says he has “no idea” how a live round even made it onto set. However, Lucien Haag, the hired forensics expert insists that there is no other way the bullet could have left the chamber. “Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” he wrote in his report.

Baldwin’s case will be brought to a grand jury in July, and we will all be waiting with baited breath to hear where the blame falls. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident,” Hutchins’ widower said. Let’s hope he’s right.