Armorer who loaded gun for Alec Baldwin was offered 'favorable' outcome if she explained how live ammunition got on set

The armorer for the film "Rust" was offered a "favorable" outcome by the prosecutor if she was able to explain how live ammunition made it on to the set of the movie. The live rounds were ultimately given to actor Alec Baldwin before he fired a gun that killed a cinematographer.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed faces up to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection to the death of Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer for the movie "Rust." Hutchins was shot by Baldwin while preparing for a scene when he pulled the trigger on a gun that was supposed to have "dummy rounds," Variety reported.

Gutierrez Reed was reportedly warned that if she refused to provide information as to where the real bullets came from, she would face additional charges. Detectives had asked the woman why there was live ammunition on the set, to which she replied "I have no idea."

Several other live rounds were also reportedly recovered from the scene, but their origins are still unknown.

Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, reportedly told the defense lawyer in September 2023 that she believed Gutierrez Reed knew more about the incident than she was willing to say.

"I feel very strongly she has some notion of how the live rounds came on set," Morrissey wrote. "I certainly respect her right not to come forward with that information and to stay silent, however if she were to come forward and answer some of these questions that plague the victims in this case that would go a long way toward getting her a favorable resolution."

"If she chooses not to ... while I respect her decision, I will proceed with the additional felony charges we spoke of," Morrissey added.

Just over two weeks later, Gutierrez Reed was indicted on a charge for carrying a firearm in a liquor establishment, a fourth-degree felony, after allegedly bringing a gun into a bar in October 2021. This was less than two weeks after the "Rust" incident.

Evidence for the charge allegedly stemmed from a search of pictures and data on Gutierrez Reed's phone, which was turned over to authorities in relation to the shooting incident.

Gutierrez Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, has taken all the aforementioned actions as a misappropriation of authority. Bowles reportedly saw the offer of a "favorable" outcome as a method by prosecutors to invoke a false confession.

The lawyer has also sought to have the additional charges dismissed and argued that they were filed vindictively as a retaliation.

"This is an extremely rare case in which we have a statement of the prosecutor’s motive behind charging," Bowles wrote. "That charge was solely designed to pressure Ms. Gutierrez Reed into giving up her Fifth Amendment right to silence (to provide information she didn’t have) or face felony criminal prosecution on a totally unrelated charge."

Bowles had also argued that the prosecutor's scope was meant to be limited to the "Rust" case and that she was operating outside her authority when she charged Gutierrez Reed for the gun possession.

Actor Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, but charges were dropped in April 2023.

Prosecutor Morrissey said that "additional facts have come to light" that warranted charges against the actor, but though she claimed the charges would be brought within two months, nothing materialized.

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