Jury selection to begin in ‘Rust’ armorer’s trial over set shooting

newsnationnow.com ^ | Alex Caprariello

[V_TWIN]

SANTA FE, N.M. (NewsNation) — Jury selection is set to begin Wednesday for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Western movie “Rust” who is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

This trial marks one of the most significant legal proceedings in Hollywood’s extensive film industry.

Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains she’s not directly to blame for Hutchins’ death. Baldwin also has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case.

In October 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing a scene that involved drawing a weapon and pointing it toward the camera when a single round went through Hutchins, fatally wounding her. Director Joul Souza was injured in the shoulder.

Baldwin claimed the gun discharged when he took it out of the holster and denied firing it, while an FBI report stated it could only have fired if the trigger had been pulled.

Prosecutors claim Gutierrez-Reed loaded the .45-caliber revolver involved in the shooting and brought at least six live rounds onto the set. Additionally, the prosecution alleges the armorer drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and used cocaine during filming — sometimes even on set. Gutierrez-Reed allegedly attempted to conceal the drugs by passing them to a friend before investigators could find them.

[woodbutcher1963]

You are correct I ASSUMED the ARMORER loaded the weapon.
That is their job on a film set.