First hearings set in 'Rust' shooting criminal cases

Feb. 1—The first court hearings in the criminal cases against actor Alec Baldwin and two other people involved in the ill-fated production of the Western film Rust are scheduled Feb. 24, the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts announced Wednesday.

The First Judicial District Court proceedings will be conducted remotely, with separate hearings for Baldwin and film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed — both charged with involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins — and assistant director David Halls, who is charged with negligent use of a firearm.

Baldwin's hearing is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 24, followed by Gutierrez-Reed's hearing at 10:15 a.m. and Halls' hearing at 10:30 a.m., the Administrative Office of the Courts said in a news release.

Halls, who has negotiated a plea agreement with prosecutors on the firearm charge, has an in-person plea conference scheduled March 8 in District Court.

Online court records indicate the three cases have been joined and are assigned to District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.

Film director Joel Souza was wounded in the shooting that killed Hutchins during a rehearsal on the movie set at Bonanza Creek Ranch south of Santa Fe, where authorities say Baldwin was wielding the prop revolver that fired a live bullet.

The District Attorney's Office formally filed charges Tuesday.

Prosecutors accuse Baldwin of failing to remedy safety violations on the set before the shooting and participated in minimal firearms training. They also allege Baldwin's recklessness as the film's producer included putting Gutierrez-Reed, an inexperienced armorer, in charge of firearms and ammunition.

Investigators found six live rounds in various locations on the film set.

Gutierrez-Reed was not a certified armorer and had served in the role for only one other film before Rust, according to a statement of probable cause.

She also failed to follow safety protocol regarding the unloading and proper storage of dummy rounds, the statement says, and she left the church building during the rehearsal where Hutchins was killed, even though safety standards required her to be present whenever firearms were used.