SHOT ON SET Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed hauled to jail as she’s found guilty over Alec Baldwin’s shooting of Halyna Hutchins
RUST film armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty in the death of a cinematographer on set and dragged to jail to begin her sentence.
Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and faces up to 18 months in jail after Halyna Hutchins was shot dead in 2021 when actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun with live ammunition.
The mum-of-one, 42, was shot when Baldwin fired the prop gun during rehearsal from point blank range and later died in hospital.
Reed, 26, had mistakenly loaded a live round into an imitation Colt .45 revolver, which was handed to Baldwin who could also face time behind bars.
A court jury concluded that she had negligently allowed the live ammunition on set on Wednesday after just two hours of final deliberation.
She was led away by cops to begin her sentence immediately and wore a blank expression as her mum cried nearby in the courtroom.
Hutchin's family later said they "look forward" to others responsible for her death facing their day in court - a possible reference to Baldwin.
Baldwin, 65, was charged alongside Reed with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 but his were dropped three months later.
The actor, however, was charged again just weeks ago with the same crime and will face trial in July.
He could face the same sentence as Reed, who pleaded guilty before her conviction.
The dad-of-seven previously said he only pulled back the hammer of the gun and denied pulling the trigger that caused the gun to fire.
But his claims will be called into question at the July trial.
Baldwin has also argued he is not at fault because he had no knowledge that the weapon contained live rounds as no live ammunition was supposed to be on set.
He called Hutchin's death an "accident" and a "one-in-a-trillion episode" on set.
Timeline of events around the fatal shooting
HALYNA Hutchins was killed on the set of Western blockbuster 'Rust' - here is a timeline of key events surrounding the tragedy.
October 6, 2021 - Production on Rust begins in Sante Fe, New Mexico
October 21, 2021 - Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is shot and killed by a prop gun that actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with
Nov 17, 2021 - The script supervisor files a lawsuit accusing Baldwin of 'playing Russian roulette' by pointing revolver at Hutchins
Dec 2, 2021 - Baldwin speaks out and denies pulling the trigger and said he has 'no idea' why live rounds where on set
Jan 12, 2022 - Armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed files a lawsuit against the ammunition box manufacturer for 'failing to state the boxes contained both live and dummy rounds'
Feb 15, 2922 - Hutchins' family files wrongful death suit against Rust's producers
April 20, 2022 - Rust production fined over failures that led to
October 6, 2021 - Production on Rust begins in Sante Fe, New Mexico
October 21, 2021 - Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is shot and killed by a prop gun that actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with
Nov 17, 2021 - The script supervisor files a lawsuit accusing Baldwin of 'playing Russian roulette' by pointing revolver at Hutchins
Dec 2, 2021 - Baldwin speaks out and denies pulling the trigger and said he has 'no idea' why live rounds where on set
Jan 12, 2022 - Armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed files a lawsuit against the ammunition box manufacturer for 'failing to state the boxes contained both live and dummy rounds'
Feb 15, 2922 - Hutchins' family files wrongful death suit against Rust's producers
April 20, 2022 - Rust production fined over failures that led to 'avoidable death'
October 5, 2022 - Hutchins' family reach settlement with production company and Baldwin
Nov 11, 2022 - Baldwin files lawsuit alleging negligence of several crew members
Jan 31, 2023 - Involuntary manslaughter charges announced against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed
Feb 23, 2023 - Baldwin pleads not guilty
March 31, 2023 - David Hall, Rust's first assistant director, sentenced to six months probation after pleaded guilty for unsafe handling of a firearm
April 20, 2023 - Manslaughter charges against Baldwin dropped
June 22, 2023 - Gutierrez-Reed additionally charged with tampering with evidence
August 9, 2023 - The armourer pleads not guilty
Jan 19, 2024 - Baldwin indicted by grand jury again for manslaughter
Jan 31, 2024 - Baldwin again pleads not guilty
Director-writer Joel Souza was also shot on the New Mexico set, but survived.
Hutchin's family lawyers said: "Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable".
"Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process. We are satisfied that the jury, based on the evidence, found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna’s life.
"We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions."
Prosecutors in court yesterday said there were “never-ending safety failures” on the set, following a two-week trial.
Her lawyer argued that the production company tried to cut costs by employing her part-time.
He told jurors: “You’ve got a convenient scapegoat.”
She will be officially sentenced at a later date.
Safety concerns on set
REPORTS of safety concerns on set surfaced after the fatal accident killed Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
One crew member posted online about the set up and said safety measures for cast and crew were "poor".
"We cited everything from lack of payment for three weeks, taking our hotels away despite asking for them in our deals, lack of Covid safety, and on top of that, poor gun safety!" they wrote on Facebook.
And a source close to the set spoke about the gun misfiring that killed Hutchins.
"A gun had two misfires in a closed cabin," they said.
"They just fired loud pops - a person was just holding it in their hands and it went off."
Rust assistant director, Dave Halls, reportedly handed Baldwin the revolver telling him it was a "cold gun," meaning it should have been safe to use.
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