The gun expert who loaded the gun with which Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer was probably hungover, prosecutors have alleged.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer on the set of Rust, has been charged with the involuntary manslaughter of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Halyna Hutchins and Alec Baldwin.Credit: Wires
She died when Baldwin accidentally fired a live bullet on the film set in New Mexico in October 2021.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Gutierrez-Reed, who will plead not guilty, sought to have the charges dismissed by the court.
Prosecutors, however, have opposed the motion in a court filing.
“It is likely that Defendant Gutierrez was hungover when she inserted a live bullet into a gun that she knew was going to be used at some point by an actor while filming a shooting scene with other actors and crew members,” prosecutors said.
“Her reckless failure resulted in the senseless death of another human being,” they told the court.
“All Defendant Gutierrez needed to do was shake every bullet and make sure it rattled before putting it in the gun – she failed and killed someone.”