'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter in On-Set Gun Death

In October 2021, the filming of the Western movie Rust came to a tragic halt after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was inadvertently shot with a gun that was never meant to be loaded with live ammunition. Now, the weapons supervisor for the movie has been convicted for her role in Hutchins' death.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was just convicted in a New Mexico court for involuntary manslaughter, marking the first legal consequences in the case that has played out in the public eye for more than two years. She, along with Alec Baldwin, pleaded not guilty on the involuntary manslaughter charge. She faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine and is in police custody as she awaits sentencing.

The film's director Joel Souza gave emotional testimony when looking back on what happened. When the gun went off, Souza was struck by the bullet before it hit Hutchins behind him. "I still didn't quite know what had happened. Nothing made sense," he said of his thoughts immediately after being shot.

As for how live ammunition got in a prop gun that was only meant to take dummy ammo, he was in denial of what actually happened. "I kept insisting, 'It's just not possible it's a live round. It just can't,'" he recalled. Live ammunition is strictly prohibited on movie sets because of dangers like this, and armorers like Gutierrez-Reed are responsible for ensuring that safety.

Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin is set to stand trial for his role in the incident, having held the gun when it fired toward Hutchins and Souza. He was indicted for a second time in the case earlier this year. Jury selection in the 30 Rock star's case beings July 9 and is expected to wrap up July 19.