STRETCHED THIN

‘Rust’ Armorer Sent Email Worrying About Gun Safety on Set, Attorney Claims

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, was juggling two people’s jobs on the low-budget flick, her attorney said.

The attorney for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the Rust armorer charged with involuntary manslaughter, said Friday his client pleaded for more time with the on-set weapons but was denied just before Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Jason Bowles told TMZ Gutierrez-Reed was splitting her time between handling props and being the low-budget film’s armorer—typically a job for at least two people. “She said, look, I need to focus more on my armorer duties—it's very important, it's a gun-heavy set, I need to put more time in the armor,” Bowles said, citing an email she sent. “They denied her that. They said no, we have a certain number of days for armorer duties and that's it.” On the day of the shooting, Bowles claimed that Gutierrez-Reed insisted Baldwin use a plastic gun for the scene's walk-through but was overruled by her boss, assistant director Dave Halls. She then asked to be called in if Baldwin had to use the gun so she could inspect it. Bowles said Halls, who took a plea deal for negligent use of a deadly weapon, never called her to the scene, and she was tending to props elsewhere on the ranch when she heard a single shot fired.