A jury convicted armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter relating to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.

Actor Alec Baldwin, a producer and actor on the film, was holding a Colt .45 during rehearsals for the low-budget Western in New Mexico when it discharged a live round, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza

Gutierrez-Reed mistakenly loaded live ammunition into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver used on set. 

The involuntary manslaughter charge against Gutierrez-Reed carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Gutierrez-Reed cleared of evidence tampering

The jury in New Mexico took just three hours to reach their decision following ten days of testimony.

However, they acquitted Gutierrez-Reed on a second charge of evidence tampering.

The trial had focused on whether the inexperienced armorer endangered fellow crew and cast members in her handling and supervision of firearms on set. 

After the verdict, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ordered that Gutierrez-Reed be taken into custody immediately.

Her attorney Jason Bowles said afterward Gutierrez-Reed would appeal the conviction.

What led to the fatal shooting?

Prosecutors said earlier at trial that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly loaded live ammunition into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver that  Baldwin was using on the set at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

The prosecution alleged that Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly carried live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” asserting that the rounds remained undetected for a minimum of 12 days leading up to the tragic shooting incident.

They contended she repeatedly skipped or skimped on standard gun safety protocols that might have detected the live rounds.

“This case is about constant, never-ending safety failures that resulted in the death of a human being and nearly killed another,” said New Mexico state special prosecutor Kari Morrissey in her closing statements earlier Wednesday.

km/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters)