The western gunsmith Rustproduced by Alec Baldwin and on the set of which the director of photography was killed by a shot in 2021, was sentenced on Monday April 15 to eighteen months of imprisonment by the American justice system.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had loaded the revolver with which Alec Baldwin was rehearsing in October 2021, when filming turned into a tragedy on a ranch in New Mexico (southwest): a live bullet killed the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins , and injured the director, Joel Souza.
Star and producer of the film, Alec Baldwin is also charged with manslaughter. He faces the same sentence, but is due to be tried separately in July.
Negligence and “consistent safety failures”
This rare news item shocked Hollywood and provoked calls to ban firearms on sets. During the gunsmith’s trial, the prosecution criticized her amateurism and inexperience. His negligence led to “constant and never-ending security failures” on set, according to prosecutor Kari Morrissey.
The armorer “left weapons unattended all the time”, she continued, and did not check that the ammunition was safe, in defiance of film industry safety regulations. Blank bullets used on target produce a clicking sound easily identifiable by a professional when shaking the weapon. “If it does not check the dummy ammunition (…) to ensure that they are indeed blank bullets, (…) it is a game of Russian roulette which is engaged each time an actor carries a weapon »scolded Mme Morrissey.
Ms. Gutierrez-Reed’s defense presented her as ” scapegoat “ of a production which neglected safety for financial reasons. The young woman had no way of knowing that live ammunition had infiltrated the set and believed that production had only obtained blank bullets, according to her lawyer Jason Bowles. She was also tasked with other tasks, which prevented her from fully concentrating on her role as an armorer. “Responsibility lies with production, as in any organization. It starts at the top”he argued.
Interrupted by the tragedy, the filming of Rust was finally completed in Montana (northwest), with Halyna Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, as executive producer. At the end of 2022, he abandoned the civil proceedings he had initiated against Alec Baldwin at the end of an agreement the amount of which was not disclosed.
Alec Baldwin’s ‘Pressure’ on set
Alec Baldwin’s lawyers are currently trying to have his criminal trial overturned, by raising nullities. Last week, the prosecution called for its continuation, in a detailed response which heavily charges the 66-year-old actor.
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The prosecutors criticize the attitude of the actor, who “screamed regularly” on everyone and wanted to finish the film faster. “Mr. Baldwin’s pressure on the crew on set regularly compromised safety”estimated the prosecution.
The actor, who denies pulling the trigger, “blatantly lied about his behavior” on the plateau, added the prosecution. In his first interrogation with the police, he did not explicitly claim that the weapon went off on its own: this thesis was only developed later, during a television interview. An FBI investigation concluded that the gun held by the actor could not have fired without pulling the trigger. It is contested by his defense.