‘Rust’ shooting: Armorer pleads not guilty; trial to begin in December

The armorer who allegedly loaded a gun that discharged on the “Rust” movie set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021 pleaded not guilty Wednesday and her trial is expected to start at the beginning of December.

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, entered a not-guilty plea Wednesday. According to The New York Times, Gutierrez-Reed has been accused of “deviating from the protocols governing the use of firearms on film sets.” Live ammunition is supposedly banned on movie sets.

The gun went off and fired a live round when the movie’s star, Alec Baldwin, was using it to rehearse, the newspaper reported. The live round struck and killed the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

Gutierrez-Reed is charged with not properly checking all the rounds to make sure they were not live rounds, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Gutierrez-Reed has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and is facing an additional charge of evidence tampering, The Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors accuse her of being hungover on the day of the shooting, according to a court filing obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. The prosecutors accused her of drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before filming, the BBC reported.

Her lawyer, according to the Times, tried to have the case dismissed but was unable to do. She has also waived her right to a preliminary hearing. The preliminary hearing would have decided if there was probable cause for the case to go to trial, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Ms. Gutierrez has pled not guilty to all charges and is preparing for her day in court,” her attorney Jason Bowles said in a statement to People Magazine. “She looks forward to her day in court, and to having the conduct of everyone on set fully examined.”

Jury selection is expected to start on Dec. 5 and the trial is set to happen between Dec. 6 and Dec. 15, according to People Magazine.

She was released from custody on personal recognizance and is expected to follow rules that were provided to her including drug testing two times per month, according to the Times.

Involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped in April against Baldwin who pointed the gun at cinematographer Hutchins during a rehearsal for “Rust.” Hutchins was killed and the film’s director, Joel Souza, was injured. Charges against Baldwin could still be refiled.