In Santa Fe, New Mexico, on April 15, 2024, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The incident occurred on the set of the Western film “Rust” in October 2021, when actor Alec Baldwin fired a live round from a prop gun, fatally shooting Hutchins. Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed on July 13, 2024, after his lawyers argued that prosecutors had hidden evidence related to the incident. Following the dismissal of Baldwin’s case, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer expressed that there was no way for the court to right the wrong.

Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Bowles, supported the judge’s decision and accused the state of misconduct, emphasizing the devastating impact on both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed, upon being convicted in March, received an 18-month sentence for her involvement in Hutchins’ death. The tragedy on the “Rust” film set garnered widespread public attention and criticism directed at Baldwin and the armorer. Subsequently, new safety standards for working with prop guns have been implemented on multiple movie sets.