The woman who handed Alec Baldwin a live prop gun has taken a critical stance against the actor, expressing her strong opinions on his role in the tragic 2021 shooting on the set of “Rust.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and is now distancing herself from Baldwin, who is due in court this July.
Continue reading to discover what the armorer revealed in a recorded phone call from prison!
“One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off,” she wrote in a caption accompanying a video of her riding a horse on the “Rust” set, located just outside of Santa Fe.
On October 21, during a dress rehearsal for the film, the 42-year-old cinematographer was tragically shot with a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin.
The gun, provided to the film’s lead actor and co-productor Baldwin by weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, unexpectedly discharged live rounds, resulting in the death of Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
In March 2024, the armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and charged by prosecutors for not adhering to fundamental safety procedures.
Gutierrez-Reed, 27, received an 18-month prison sentence for her role in the incident.
“You were the armorer, the one responsible for ensuring the weapon was safe,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer told Gutierrez-Reed during sentencing. “You alone transformed a safe weapon into a lethal one.”
‘Never had a problem’
“I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger, never,” Baldwin stated in an interview with ABC News regarding the tragic event. He emphasized that he had “no idea” how a live round ended up on the set, adding, “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.” The 66-year-old actor insisted on his unawareness of the bullet’s presence.
Earlier, at the Boulder Film Festival, the “30 Rock” star defended his actions, explaining, “When someone whose job it is to ensure the safety of the weapon hands it over as safe, and they’re the secondary layer of safety protection, that’s what I’ve always relied on. I’ve lived my whole life trusting the safety experts to declare the gun safe and then hand it to me. I’ve never had a problem until now.”
However, the issue he now faces is persistent.
‘Failure to accept responsibility’
The actor from “It’s Complicated,” who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, is set for a trial in July at a Santa Fe courthouse.
As they build their case against the actor who asserts his innocence, prosecutors have compelled Gutierrez-Reed to testify on Baldwin’s behalf through a legal motion.
However, according to summaries of her prison phone calls to family and others, her testimony might only serve to further complicate the situation for the award-winning actor.
The documents, submitted by special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis on April 12, detail objections to Gutierrez-Reed’s request for a conditional discharge (probation instead of prison time), citing her “total failure to accept responsibility.”
In one summary of the calls, Gutierrez-Reed tells her mother that she will not appear at Baldwin’s trial if subpoenaed, stating, “if she is subpoenaed to Baldwin’s trial she will not show up.”
The documents also note her complaints about the subpoena process, mentioning her frustration that “she shouldn’t be subpoenaed if Baldwin didn’t show up for her.” Additionally, she reportedly referred to Morrissey with a derogatory term and called members of the jury “idiots” and “a**holes.”
In a particularly revealing call, Gutierrez-Reed expressed her desire to see Baldwin “in jail.”
Public reaction
The public has been vocal about the tragedy, with many devastated by the loss of the wife and mother and calling for stricter safety protocols on film sets.
One commenter noted, “This seems to have been a horrible accident stemming from a failure to follow safety protocols on set. Mr. Baldwin isn’t to blame, but there needs to be a change in the rules unless people are comfortable with the risk of accidental deaths from movie firearms. Is this Russian roulette?”
A second commenter tweeted, “Hannah Gutierrez-Reed got the maximum 18 months for her involvement in the ‘Rust’ incident and the death of Halyna Hutchins. Her disparaging comments about the jurors and judge during her jail calls influenced her sentence. It’s critical to avoid discussing your case over jail phone lines.”
Another supporter of Baldwin argued, “Obviously, it’s part of the story, but it’s really not fair to make Alec Baldwin the face of this tragedy. He wasn’t responsible for loading the gun. There needs to be a greater emphasis on safety protocols on set.”
A third user, looking ahead to Baldwin’s trial, remarked, “You’ll be seeing more justice in July.”
‘The good, the bad,’ and the twisted
Just two months after Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction, Baldwin and his wife Hilaria announced their upcoming reality series “The Baldwins,” set to premiere in 2025.
“We’re opening up our home to you to share the highs and lows; the good, the bad, the wild, and the crazy,” Baldwin shares in an Instagram video. “Home is where we love to be the most.”
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