A seasoned on-set firearms expert and witness for the prosecution of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on Thursday picked apart several videos showing alleged gun-safety violations on the ill-fated set. The footage included actors swinging muzzles in all directions as well as producer/actor Alec Baldwin furiously rushing the crew to reload his revolver and using it as a “pointing stick.”
Bryan Carpenter, a former police officer who told jurors he has worked on hundreds of movie sets, was shown dozens of clips from the low-budget Western that were captured before the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins at the hands of Baldwin on October 20, 2021.
The Santa Fe, N.M., jury saw “Rust” actors swinging a shotgun around in a full circle, Gutierrez-Reed holding long-barreled guns by their muzzles and pointed at her own head and other people, and an exasperated Baldwin barking orders at the crew.
“Never let the muzzle cover anything you wouldn’t want to harm,” Carpenter said. “Fundamental safety rule.”
Gutierrez-Reed faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering, with a potential prison sentence of up to three years. The trial began last week in New Mexico before a jury that will determine whether she bears responsibility in the accidental shooting death of Hutchins.
Carpenter also testified that it was the responsibility of Gutierrez-Reed to remind the actors and stuntmen mishandling firearms how to safely and properly handle them.
“[One actor] actually did a 360-degree muzzle breach, he spun around and pointed at everyone in the scene – and then he handed it to the young actor,” Carpenter said. “She should be giving him some coaching … [saying] ‘Hey, make sure you keep that thing slung down.’ He wouldn’t have been able to handle that weapon anymore, if it was me personally.”
Though she is seen moving in and out of various shooting scenes, Gutierrez-Reed says nothing – and, in fact, at times is seen holding guns with muzzles pointed at herself and others.
“Is that a proper way to carry that gun?” the prosecutor asked.
“It is not.”
“Is that a safe way to carry that gun?”
“It is not.”
In another video, Baldwin is shown bursting out of a door and firing his pistol during a live shoot. As it concludes, he exhorts Gutierrez-Reed in a clipped, exasperated voice to hurry up and reload his gun so they could do it again.
“One more, one more, one more!” he shouts. “Now! Right away, right away, right away! Reload! Come on!”
A beat later, Baldwin tells Gutierrez how to do her job – which Carpenter described as inappropriate: “We should’ve had two guns, and both were reloading,” Baldwin is heard saying.
In another scene, after Baldwin has fallen to the ground, he points the replica Colt .45 around as he shows crew members where he wants them to stand.
“He’s using his pistol as a pointing stick,” Carpenter said. “We have to assume this weapon is loaded. And in this case, it probably is.”
Carpenter repeatedly testified that it was on Gutierrez-Reed to actually slow down the pace of shooting to make sure industry standard safety protocols were being followed. “This is that moment that you need to stop and say, ‘No, I’m not going to hurry up. I’m going to slow down … this is creating an unsafe and nerve-wracking situation.’”
A unit production manager testified earlier this week that a six-person camera crew walked off the set in protest over what it viewed as chronic safety violations. On Wednesday, defense lawyer Jason Bowles began to lay the groundwork for a possible “sabotage” theory, suggesting that someone planted live rounds in dummy round boxes, perhaps to get Gutierrez-Reed fired.
During opening statements last week, state prosecutor Jason Lewis asserted that Gutierrez-Reed’s “unprofessional and sloppy” conduct was a contributing factor in Hutchins’ death. Baldwin is expected to also stand trial later this summer on separate manslaughter charges.
Gutierrez-Reed’s defense lawyers laid the blame on Baldwin, who “really controlled the set” and also called the armorer “an easy target – the least powerful person on that set.”
The trial, expected to last at least two weeks, will feature several key witnesses, including director Joel Souza and David Halls, the first assistant director.
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