The armorer on the ill-fated “Rust” movie set said Alec Baldwin’s decision to point a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was counter to “all rules and common sense.”
Hannah Gutierrez Reed issued the statement Saturday in response to a legal filing from Baldwin on Friday where he tried to formally deflect blame for the fatal shooting of Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021, in New Mexico.
Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety to his fellow crew members,” Gutierrez Reed said, according to CNN. “Yet he did point the gun at Halyna before the fatal incident against all rules and common sense.”
Gutierrez Reed said she was supposed to inspect all weapons before they were used, but claimed she never got her hands on the crucial gun before the gun Baldwin was holding went off, with a live round killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
In his filing, Baldwin claimed that Gutierrez Reed should have double-checked the gun before it reached his hands. He also reiterated an explanation he first gave in December 2021, describing a scene in which Hutchins was instructing him on exactly where to position the gun for a shot. Baldwin said that was the only situation in which an actor would point a gun at another person on set.
Baldwin also claimed in his filing that Gutierrez Reed told him to cock the gun. He’s previously claimed that he never pulled the trigger, only cocked the hammer.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case, though New Mexico authorities are still investigating. Baldwin and other producers on “Rust” are facing several civil lawsuits, including one from Hutchins’ husband, Matthew.
