The trial of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed commenced on Thursday with opening statements. Gutierrez-Reed faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection with the tragic on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The fatal incident occurred on October 21, 2021, during the filming of “Rust” at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, aged 42, lost her life, and director Joel Souza sustained injuries when actor Alec Baldwin, rehearsing with a prop gun, inadvertently discharged a live round.

The focal point of the case revolves around the presence of live ammunition on the film set and how it ended up in the gun wielded by Baldwin.

Despite Baldwin’s assertion that he did not pull the trigger, the gun discharged a bullet, NBC News reported.

At 26 years old, Gutierrez-Reed held the responsibility for the weapons used in the Western film featuring Baldwin. If found guilty on both charges, she could face a maximum sentence of three years in jail.

In his opening statement, New Mexico special prosecutor Jason Lewis attributed Hutchins’ tragic death to Gutierrez-Reed’s alleged “sloppy” handling of the weapons on the set.

Lewis argued that Gutierrez-Reed failed to adequately inspect the gun before bringing it to the film’s set on that fateful day.

Written by B.C. Begley