Rust armorer 'was stretched too thin' on set, her lawyer claims

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer claims she was ‘stretched too thin’ on set and was NOT given a head’s up before Alec Baldwin was handed gun

• Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said his client was ‘stretched too thin’ and had asked for more time to focus on her armorer duties but was denied
• He also said she was never given the option to do her job as the assistant director did not ask her to reinspect the weapon and instruct Baldwin 
• Bowles reiterated that Halyna Hutchins’ death was a ‘tragic accident’ and that the fault falls on production and Halls  

A lawyer for Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed claims she was ‘stretched too thin’ on the set of the low-budget Western film, and she did not check the gun and was not given a heads-up before Alec Baldwin was handed the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins. 

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were formally charged this week with involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins’ death in New Mexico at Bonanza Creek in October 2021.

Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, told TMZ his client was ‘stretched too thin’ and had asked for more time to focus on her armorer duties, but was ‘denied’ it and never called back into the church by the assistant director David Halls to properly instruct Baldwin on how to handle the weapon. 

‘Hannah was not called back into that church. She asked David Halls specifically: “If Baldwin is going to use that gun, then call me back into that church, so I can instruct him on the usage of the gun, I can reinspect that gun, and I can tell him where to point it, and work with him on it.”

‘She was never called back in,’ Bowles lamented. ‘So when the [District Attorney] talks about the armorer’s responsibility, this and that, she wanted to do her job, but she was prevented from doing her job. That’s the big distinction.’ 

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said his client was ‘stretched too thin’ and had asked for more time to focus on her armorer duties, but was ‘denied’ it and never called back into the church to properly instruct Baldwin on how to handle the weapon

Bowles also informed TMZ that Gutierrez-Reed had asked Halls to use a ‘plastic gun’ and was told no, they wanted a ‘real gun.’ 

‘So Halls took the gun, said he would [call her back in], [and] never called her back in,’ Bowles said. ‘Halls had the real gun. The idea that he’s saying he didn’t have it, he didn’t hand it Baldwin, [is] completely false.’ 

Gutierrez-Reed also went to Gabrielle Pickle, her boss, and asked for more time to do her job, as it was a ‘gun-heavy set,’ Bowles said. 

‘They denied her that,’ he said. ‘They said: “No, we get a certain amount of days for armor duties and that’s it,” because this was a lower budget production and that’s how they were going to run it.’ 

The lawyer also reiterated that that Hutchins’ death was a ‘tragic accident’ and cited the decades of movie making where no one was killed due to a gun on set as proof. 

‘In a 100 years of movies, this has not happened. I think nobody could foresee that live round. It’s a tragic accident.’ 

He went on to say that brunt weight of the accident falls on ‘production’ and Halls for ‘not calling Hannah back in.’ 

Halls is himself expected to testify against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. 

She had asked David Halls to called her back into the church if Baldwin (pictured today) was going to fire that gun in the scene, but she never was, her lawyer said 

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were formally charged with involuntary manslaughter this week

In addition, prosecutors claimed Baldwin was ‘distracted’ during firearm training and shortly after the incident admitted to officers he had fired the weapon – something he would later vehemently deny.

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe district attorney, reported that the Oscar-nominated actor and producer of the film was not present for firearms training prior to the start of filming – and when an hour-long training session was scheduled, he appeared uninterested and was on his cell phone.

Her team found ‘reckless deviation from known standards and practice and protocol’, noting that Hutchins was killed during an unscheduled rehearsal, during which the standard two safety checks were not carried out, and for which a plastic gun should have been used.

‘Today [Wednesday], we have taken another important step in securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,’ said Carmack-Altwies in a statement. ‘In New Mexico, no one is above the law and justice will be served.’

Baldwin has vowed to fight the charges. He has stated repeatedly he never pulled the trigger, and said it was a tragic accident – emphasizing that he relied on the firearms experts hired to be on set.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. 

Halyna Hutchins (pictured) died on the set of Rust in October after Baldwin allegedly fired the gun in a scene 

Among the papers filed on Tuesday is a ten-page probable cause affidavit – divided into two sections. One notes Baldwin’s actions as the lead actor, and another explores his role as the film’s primary producer.

Prosecutors note that Baldwin was absent from an initial firearms training session.

Gutierrez-Reed set up an hour-long subsequent session for Baldwin, but they only completed 30 minutes.

‘According to Reed, Baldwin was distracted and talking on his cell phone to his family during the training,’ the prosecutors stated.

The affidavit claims Baldwin gave ‘inconsistent accounts’ about how the shooting happened – first telling police he ‘fired’ the gun, then insisting he did not pull the trigger.

Prosecutors state that ‘photos and videos clearly show Baldwin, multiple times, with his finger inside the trigger guard and on the trigger.’

They add: ‘Baldwin approached responding deputies on the day of the shooting, wanting to talk to them because he was the one who ‘fired’ the gun.’

They state: ‘Photo and video evidence from inside the church on the day of the shooting show some of the rehearsal up to and including moments before the shooting.

Bowles also said that Gutierrez-Reed had asked Halls to use a ‘plastic gun’ and was told no, they wanted a ‘real gun’

The lawyer also reiterated that that Hutchins’ death was a ‘tragic accident’ and cited the decades of movie making where no one was killed due to a gun on set as proof

‘The photos and videos clearly show Baldwin multiple times with his finger inside of the trigger guard and on the trigger, while manipulating the hammer and while drawing, pointing and holstering the revolver.

‘Baldwin knew the first rule of gun safety is to never point a gun at someone you don’t intend on shooting,’ the document continues.

Baldwin claimed in interviews after the shooting that he did not pull the trigger.

He believes the fault lies with the armorer, who he says should have checked the gun was safe before it was handed to him.

Yet the probable cause statement against Baldwin referred to the FBI’s previous analysis of the firearm, which ‘clearly showed that the weapon could not ‘accidentally fire.’

The document also said Baldwin failed to demand ‘at least two (2) safety checks between the armorer and himself’ prior to the shooting.

Prosecutors said: ‘If Baldwin had not pointed the gun at Hutchins and Souza, this tragedy would not have occurred.

‘This reckless deviation from known standards and practice and protocol directly caused the fatal shooting.’

Baldwin’s attorney said the decision to charge his client was deeply misguided. 

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