Rust weapons supervisor charged with ‘evidence tampering’ on the day of fatal shooting
The set of the film where the shooting took place
/ APhe weapons supervisor charged with involuntary manslaughter over the Rust set shooting has been charged with evidence tampering for allegedly passing drugs to someone else on the day of the shooting.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed “did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself.” prosecutors appointed in the case said in a court filing. They gave no further details.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney Jason Bowles called the move “retaliatory and vindictive.”
“It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez Reed, with no prior notice or any witness statements, lab reports, or evidence to support it,” Bowles said in a statement.
Gutierrez-Reed is the sole remaining defendant in the case after prosecutors in April dropped an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin, who was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killed her and injured director Joel Souza on October 21, 2021.
Prosecutors can still refile charges against Baldwin.
The new charge comes a week after prosecutors alleged in a court filing that Gutierrez-Reed was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of Rust and was likely hungover on the day a live bullet was placed into the gun Baldwin used.
Bowles called that allegation “character assassination” from prosecutors with a weak case that the defense has asked a judge to dismiss.