Actor Alec Baldwin fired the bullet that killed Galina Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico in 2021 after real ammunition was mixed up with fake ammunition. Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed testified that she loaded the real bullet that killed Hutchins from one of two white cardboard boxes of dummy bullets she brought to the set.

Alec BaldwinPhoto: ABC / Backgrid UK / Profimedia Images

The charging documents accused Hannah Gutierrez Reed of being responsible for “allowing live ammunition on the set” but not for delivering it to the production. After the case goes to trial, the defense team for the armory and Baldwin are expected to challenge prosecutors over their failure to explain the source of the ammunition, according to Reuters.

How did the real weapon get on the set?

Gutierrez Reid told police he loaded the real bullet that killed Hutchins from one of two white cardboard boxes of dummy bullets he brought to the set. She said the tray of what were believed to be fake bullets inside the box — which police said contained other real bullets — could easily have been from another ammunition box.

The gunsmith also said prop supplier Seth Kenny allegedly gave him the fake ammunition he used for “The Old Way.” She said she then brought those cartridges to the gun casings on the set of Rust when Baldwin used them for the shoot.

She sued Kenny in January 2022, claiming the ammunition he used was misrepresented as counterfeit. Kenny denied that the live ammunition from the set came from his company. He has not been charged in the case. Without evidence, Gutierrez-Reid and Baldwin were aware of their possible presence at the scene, but prosecutors may have a hard time proving they were negligent in Hutchins’ death, legal experts said.

Alec Baldwin has always maintained his innocence. He says he was assured his gun was harmless and denies pulling the trigger. A claim that many experts have questioned.

This event shocked Hollywood and caused a huge uproar, causing calls to ban weapons on the set, where the presence of live ammunition is theoretically already prohibited.