Alec Baldwin Did Not Complete Gun Training For 'Rust': Court Docs

SANTA FE, NM — Alec Baldwin, who was formally charged Tuesday in a fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust," did not complete the required weapons training for the film, according to court documents.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer who supervised weapons on the set of the film, also failed to check the gun before the shooting and wasn't certified to hold the job, court documents said.

The involuntary manslaughter charges filed against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed are in connection with the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust,” according to court documents. Hutchins was killed by a bullet fired from a prop gun Baldwin wielded while he and the crew set up filming positions on the set of the Western.

“Today we have taken another important step in securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a news release. “In New Mexico, no one is above the law and justice will be served."

Earlier this month, authorities announced Baldwin, who was both an actor and producer on "Rust," and Gutierrez-Reed would each be charged with involuntary manslaughter after Hutchins was killed on the film’s Santa Fe County set. If convicted, the defendants could face five years in prison, according to Carmack-Altwies.

Hutchins died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza.

The scene for which Baldwin was preparing did not require him to fire the gun, according to court documents, which stated a plastic or replica weapon should have been used during the scene preparation.

Prosecutors have said that Baldwin’s involvement as a producer and as the person who fired the gun weighed in the decision to file charges.

Baldwin did not attend the required firearms training before filming started on "Rust," according to court documents. When he did eventually go to the training, it was cut short because he was distracted and on the phone with his family, prosecutors alleged in the court documents

Gutierrez-Reed failed to correct Baldwin when he had his finger on the trigger prior to the shooting, court documents said. She also did not check in front of Baldwin that the gun contained dummy bullets and left the church where the scene was being prepped while Baldwin had the firearm, court documents said.

In addition, Gutierrez-Reed was not certified to be a lead armorer and had worked as an armorer only once before, according to court documents.

Broader problems with safety plagued the set, prosecutors contend. According to court documents, the day before the shooting, the camera crew resigned, citing safety concerns among other issues.

Authorities found a total of six live rounds in various locations on the "Rust" set, court documents said.

There were also two negligent discharges of guns associated with "Rust" prior to the fatal shooting, according to court documents. The first involved a prop master assigned to assist with armoring despite having little experience with firearms, and the second was committed by a stunt double, court documents said.

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed will be issued a summons to appear in court. Prosecutors will forgo a grand jury and rely on a judge to determine if there is sufficient evidence to move toward trial. It could take up to 60 days for a decision.

"Rust" assistant director David Halls signed a plea agreement in the case for a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to Carmack-Altwies.

In a prepared statement Tuesday, Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys argued prosecutors misunderstood the facts of the case.

"Hannah pleaded to provide more firearms training," lawyers Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion said in the statement. "She was denied and brushed aside.

"Hannah asked to be able to perform her armorer duties more for safety reasons. She was told by production to focus on props. Hannah asked Halls if they could us a plastic gun for the rehearsal scene and he said no, wanting a 'real gun.' Hannah asked to be called back into the church if Baldwin was going to use the gun at all and Halls failed to do that."

The terms of Halls' plea deal include a suspended sentence and six months of probation. The plea agreement for Halls was pending a judge's approval Tuesday. It was not released with the charging documents and statements of probable cause for Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin.

Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, declined comment to the Associated Press on Tuesday and referred to his previous statement on the case, in which he called the charges a “terrible miscarriage of justice” that he and his client would fight and win.

“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” the statement said. “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked.”

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were charged "in the alternative," meaning a jury would decide if they are guilty and which of two definitions of involuntary manslaughter should apply, according to Carmack-Altwies.

For the first count to be proven, a jury must decide there was underlying negligence, which could lead to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. The second alternative count includes a firearm enhancement, which makes the crime punishable by a mandatory five years in jail, according to Carmack-Altwies.

The charges are the culmination of a more than yearlong investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.