Rust Armorer Found Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter [UPDATE]
[UPDATE: On April 15, 2024, Hannah Gutierrez Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison (per Variety). The rest of the article is presented as originally published.]
On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in a tragic on-set accident during the production of the Alec Baldwin film, "Rust." While preparing for a scene as the film's director of photography, Baldwin discharged a live round from a Pietta .45 Colt revolver, which was being used as a prop, injuring director Joel Souza and fatally wounding Hutchins. On February 15, 2022, Hutchins' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin (who also served as a producer) and other crew members on "Rust," alleging that her death was wholly preventable and the result of cost-cutting safety measures and irresponsible on-set behavior. Legal proceedings have been ongoing ever since, but today, on-set armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, as reported by Variety.
As the on-set armorer, it was Gutierrez Reed's responsibility for the safe handling of firearms on set, and was the one who loaded the live bullet into the gun used by Baldwin. Gutierrez Reed is the first person to stand trial in regard to the shooting, with roughly two weeks of testimony regarding lapses in on-set safety. Jurors reportedly delivered their verdict after less than three hours of deliberation. Variety noted that prosecutor Kari Morrissey called Gutierrez Reed's actions an "astonishing" failure to adhere to industry safety standards. Variety also reports that Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of a separate charge of evidence tampering, and faces up to 18 months in prison. Baldwin will face his own trial for manslaughter charges sometime in July.
Rest in peace, Halyna Hutchins
Before her passing, Halyna Hutchins was one of the go-to independent genre film cinematographers, with credits like Pollyanna McIntosh's "Darlin'," Adam Egypt Mortimer's "Archenemy," and the upcoming Hannah Macpherson horror film, "Time Cut." Shortly following her passing, Mortimer contributed a moving tribute to Hutchins at Vanity Fair. His entire In Memoriam is breathtaking, but there are two passages in particular that I hope people remember more than the results of a court proceeding. As he wrote:
This fierce tranquility came from her total belief in film as art, and the trust she had in her own ability to make beautiful things. But in addition to this forcefield of integrity, what made her so lovely and radiant was her deep vulnerability. Her eyes always shined.
[...]
She unwaveringly, stubbornly believed that she could turn a scene into art. I say stubbornly because she really would dig in. We were not going to roll that camera until the frame was right. She could withstand the storm of pressure her own stubbornness created, and she could withstand it because she knew that on the other side was something beautiful. And now my collaborator and friend is on the other side. I hope it's beautiful.
No court decision can bring Halyna Hutchins back, but her legacy lives on in not only her brilliant contributions to film but also the Halyna Hutchins Memorial Scholarship Fund dedicated to supporting the education of female cinematographers through the American Film Institute, and the proposed "Halyna's Law" which would make it a felony to use real ammunition on film and television sets.