Trial now possible in ‘Rust’ shooting case after armorer waives right to hearing

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed on Friday chose to forgo a preliminary hearing in the case of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in October 2021.

The hearing would have allowed court testimony from eyewitnesses of the shooting among dozens of people.

Actor Alec Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins when it went off, killing her. Director Joel Souza was also injured.

Prosecutors dropped charges against Baldwin in April, while David Halls, safety coordinator and assistant director received six months’ probation after pleading ‘no contest’ to a charge of unsafe handling of a firearm.

That left Gutierrez Reed as the sole defendant in the case, but now that she has waived her right to a preliminary hearing, the case could soon head to trial.

Her lawyers filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

In addition, Gutierrez Reed denied rumors that she was hungover on the day of the shooting. Her attorney argued earlier this year that the rumors had tainted the case.

Despite all of this, a New Mexico judge told prosecutors to “stay the course,” Tuesday, refusing to dismiss the charges against Gutierrez Reed, including involuntary manslaughter.