The armorer from the western “Rust”, producer Alec Baldwin, on the set of which a cinematographer was fatally wounded, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by an American court on Wednesday, writes news.ro

Prosecutors accused Hanna Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of guns at the shoelace factory, of repeated negligence. She faces up to 18 months in prison, writes AFP.

Her sentence will be determined only next month.

The filming of the movie “Rust” turned into a tragic tragedy in October 2021 on a farm in New Mexico (Southwest USA). Alec Baldwin aimed a gun that was supposed to contain blank rounds, but the real bullet killed cameraman Galina Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

For two weeks, the prosecution tried to explain how the fatal bullet – one of several rounds of ammunition collected by investigators – could have entered the set, violating general safety rules in the film industry.

During the hearing, jurors were shown images of Alec Baldwin handling a gun dangerously, pointing it at other members of the team, without the intervention of a gunsmith.

“This is not a case where he made the mistake of accidentally putting a real bullet in the gun,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey said in closing arguments Wednesday. “This case is about continuous and endless security breaches that have resulted in the death of one person and the near-death of another,” she added.

According to the prosecutor, on the morning of the tragedy, the gunsmith was again negligent: she was not present when Alec Baldwin was preparing his scene and left unattended about 20 weapons that were used in the production.

She left the weapon in the church where the tragedy occurred, “contrary to all norms regarding the activity of gunsmiths on the set,” insisted the prosecutor. “As numerous witnesses have told you, she always left her weapon unattended. There was nothing unusual on October 21.”

Morrissey accused Gutierrez-Reid of bringing live ammunition onto the set and failing to perform the necessary checks to ensure the ammunition loaded into the gun was safe: The white bullets make an easily recognizable rattle when the gun is shaken.

“If they don’t check the fake ammunition (…) to make sure it’s really white bullets, (…) it’s going to be a game of Russian roulette every time an actor carries a gun,” he said. prosecutor.

The prosecutor’s office also accused the gunsmith that after the tragedy she hid the cocaine she used outside of work hours. The jury acquitted her on this count.

Alec Baldwin, the film’s star and producer, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. His trial is expected to take place in July.

Filming on “Rust” resumed a few months later and wrapped up in Montana, with Galina Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, acting as executive producer.

In late 2022, he dropped his civil suit against Alec Baldwin in an undisclosed settlement.