‘Rust’ armorer found guilty of manslaughter in fatal shooting of cinematographer

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer who gave Alec Baldwin a gun on the set of the doomed movie Rust has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the accidental 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The jury deliberated for 2.5 hours before delivering the verdict on Wednesday at the First Judicial District Courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Gutierrez-Reed, 26, did not take the stand in her own defence during the trial, which lasted nearly two weeks. She was also charged with evidence tampering, but was found not guilty on this charge.

The armourer did not appear to react as the verdicts were read out, though supporters gathered in the court were visibly upset. She was remanded in custody, with a date for her sentencing still to be set.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Kari Morrissey said Gutierrez-Reed “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety and that her negligence led to the death of Ms Hutchins.