The trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film “Rust” where a tragic incident involving a live bullet took place, has brought to light new details about the source of the live ammunition that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza.
During the trial, prosecutors focused on a box of rounds found on the set, which contained a live round among the dummies. This box was identified by Gutierrez-Reed as the source of the rounds she loaded into Alec Baldwin’s revolver. The prosecution also presented a photo of Gutierrez-Reed holding a gun with a tray of ammunition on her lap, suggesting that she may have been the source of the live rounds.
However, the defense tried to shift the focus onto the film’s primary weapons and ammunition supplier, Seth Kenney, who testified that he had supplied dummy rounds to the production but denied any involvement with the live ammunition. Kenney claimed that the live rounds found on set could not have come from him as he had checked the dummy rounds before supplying them.
The trial also raised questions about the initial investigation, with the defense highlighting the delay in searching Kenney’s office, which could have allowed for evidence tampering. Additionally, it was revealed that after the shooting, the head of props, Sarah Zachry, had thrown away rounds she believed to be dummies in a trash can, raising concerns about the handling of evidence.
As the trial concluded with Gutierrez-Reed being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the question of how live ammunition ended up on the set of “Rust” remains unanswered. The case has shed light on the complexities and potential risks involved in handling firearms on film sets, prompting calls for stricter safety measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
