Rust armourer was likely hungover on Alec Baldwin film set: prosecutors

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was reportedly drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana in the evenings while the movie was being filmed, the prosecution said in response to a motion her lawyers filed seeking to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against her, the New York Post reports.

Prosecutors also said they will decide whether to recharge Baldwin within the next 60 days — based on the findings of an analysis of the gun and its broken spear by an independent expert.

The 65-year-old actor was charged with involuntary manslaughter but the charge was dismissed in April to allow for more time to investigate new evidence.

Baldwin has repeatedly said he didn’t pull the trigger and pleaded not guilty to the charges in February.

In their response, prosecutors claimed Ms Gutierrez-Reed had a history of reckless behaviour and should “finally be held accountable” for the safety of the public.

The movie armourer had only worked on one other set before she was hired for the production of Rust.

Her lawyer, Jason Bowles, slammed the accusations this week.

“The case is so weak that they now have chosen to resort to character assassination claims about Hannah,” Mr Bowles told The Associated Press.

“The prosecution has abandoned the idea of doing justice and getting to the actual truth apparently.”

Ms Gutierrez-Reed will go to court on August 9 for a preliminary hearing, where a judge is expected to decide if there’s probable cause for the charge and if the case will go to trial.

The charges stem from an October 2021 incident when Baldwin shot a vintage Colt .45 revolver that unexpectedly contained a live round, which struck and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, during a rehearsal on the New Mexico film set.

The film’s director Joel Souza was also wounded in the accidental shooting.

Ms Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers claimed that Santa Fe District lawyer Mary Carmack-Altwies and the initial special prosecutor she appointed “both used the tragic film set accident that resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins as an opportunity to advance their personal interests” in their motion filed last month.

They also accused the FBI of permanently damaging the gun during tests before the defence could examine it. The lawyers said the bureau effectively destroyed evidence in violation of the court’s rules of discovery.

The defence further claimed that Ms Gutierrez-Reed’s prosecution was “selective” and an infringement on her rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment.

New special prosecutors appointed to the case strongly denied the claims.

“Nothing about this prosecution has or will be selective,” they said.

Investigators are still working to determine where the live rounds found on the set came from. They suggested there was evidence that Ms Gutierrez-Reed could be responsible and if found to be true, will likely bring more charges against her.

The rookie armourer previously maintained that the Rust revolver was only loaded with dummy bullets, but investigators found a combination of live rounds and dummy bullets on the set — marking a serious safety violation.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.