New twist in the case of the fatal shooting that occurred on the set of Oxide. Hannah Gutiérrez-Reed, the gunsmith in this western produced by Alec Baldwin sentenced in April to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter, is appealing her sentence. Her request was made by her lawyers on Monday, May 13, Sky News reported on Wednesday. Her defense has 30 days to present a detailed argument.
The 27-year-old had loaded the revolver with which Alec Baldwin was rehearsing in October 2021, when filming became dramatic on a ranch in New Mexico, in the United States: while the weapon was in the actor’s hand, a bullet real killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Hannah Gutiérrez-Reed is serving her sentence in a New Mexico prison.
She “left weapons unattended all the time”
During the gunsmith’s trial, the prosecution criticized her amateurism and inexperience. Her negligence caused “constant and endless security failures” on the set, according to prosecutor Kari Morrissey.
The gunsmith “left the guns unattended the entire time,” he continued, and failed to check that the ammunition was secure, in violation of film industry safety standards.
Hannah Gutiérrez-Reed’s defense presented her as a “scapegoat” for a production that neglected security for economic reasons.
The young woman had no way of knowing that live ammunition had been infiltrated on the set and believed that the production had only obtained blank bullets, according to her lawyer Jason Bowles.
She was also assigned other duties, which prevented her from fully concentrating on her role as a gunsmith. “The responsibility is for production, as in any organization, it starts from the top,” she argued.
Star and producer of the film, Alec Baldwin is also charged with involuntary manslaughter. He faces the same sentence, but will be tried separately in July. This rare news shocked Hollywood and sparked calls to ban firearms on sets.
An FBI investigation concluded that the gun the actor was wielding could not have fired without pulling the trigger. His defense challenges it.
Filming on the film resumed in April 2023, a year and a half after the tragedy. It was completed in May of the same year.
Source: BFM TV
