The Alec Baldwin Rust shooting cases have moved through criminal court, workplace safety enforcement, and civil litigation since cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on October 21, 2021, when a prop revolver Baldwin was holding discharged a live round during a rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe. Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed with prejudice in July 2024. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted, sentenced to 18 months, and paroled in May 2025. Civil claims by the Hutchins family and three crew members have settled, and one negligence case brought by the film’s gaffer is scheduled for trial in October 2026. Baldwin has also sued the prosecutors and investigators who charged him.
What Happened on Set
Hutchins, the film’s director of photography, was setting up a scene inside a church set when Baldwin drew a period-style revolver that had been prepared by Gutierrez-Reed. The gun discharged. The bullet struck Hutchins in the chest and then hit director Joel Souza in the shoulder. Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital and pronounced dead.1Los Angeles Times. Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin, Rust Movie Full Coverage
How a live round reached a prop weapon became the central question. Investigators found the ammunition cart was regularly left unattended and that standard safety procedures — such as showing dummy rounds to the assistant director and actor before a scene — had not been followed.2CBS News. Rust Shooting Timeline Gutierrez-Reed later sued the film’s ammunition supplier, Seth Kenney and PDQ Arm & Prop, alleging boxes labeled as dummy rounds actually contained a mix of dummy and live ammunition. Kenney denied it, saying his company supplied only blank ammunition and 50 dummy rounds.3The Hollywood Reporter. Rust Armorer Sues Ammunition Supplier for Mixing Rounds
Baldwin’s Criminal Case and Its Dismissal
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies charged Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed with involuntary manslaughter in January 2023.4Los Angeles Times. Alec Baldwin Rust Prosecutor Faces Setback The prosecution stumbled early. Special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, who also served as a Republican state lawmaker, resigned in March 2023 after Baldwin’s defense argued her dual role created a conflict of interest. Gun enhancement charges were dropped around the same time. Carmack-Altwies stepped away from directly handling the case and appointed new special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis.5ABC News. Santa Fe DA Stepping Away From Prosecuting Rust Set Shooting
Baldwin’s trial began in July 2024 before State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer and lasted only three days. On the third day, Baldwin’s defense revealed that ammunition potentially connected to the case had been turned over to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office months earlier and never disclosed. Troy Teske, a retired Arizona police officer and close friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, Thell Reed, had brought the rounds to authorities during Gutierrez-Reed’s trial in March 2024, claiming they were evidence related to the shooting.6ABC News. Alec Baldwin Trial Day 3 Motion Hearing Ammunition The sheriff’s office logged the ammunition under a different case number.
Baldwin’s attorneys argued the rounds, which featured Starline brass casings and nickel primers matching the fatal round, were potentially exculpatory. Morrissey countered that she had determined the rounds were dissimilar to those found on the Rust set.7The Hollywood Reporter. Alec Baldwin Rust Case Dismissed, Focus Shifts to Arms Supplier When Judge Sommer examined the ammunition in open court, she noted the rounds appeared to resemble those recovered from the set. She ruled the state’s failure to disclose the supplemental report and physical evidence was “intentional and deliberate,” approached “bad faith,” and was “highly prejudicial to the defendant.” She dismissed the case with prejudice on July 12, 2024, meaning it can never be refiled.8Deadline. Alec Baldwin Trial Dismissed
Prosecutors appealed the dismissal but withdrew the appeal in December 2024. Morrissey said “multiple barriers” had compromised the ability to keep litigating.9CNN. Prosecutors Withdraw Appeal of Dismissed Case Against Alec Baldwin
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed: Conviction, Appeal, and Parole
The armorer’s case went forward separately. In March 2024, a New Mexico jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter and acquitted her of evidence tampering.10CBS News. Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Released From Prison In April 2024, she received the maximum 18-month sentence.11Variety. Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Released on Parole
After Baldwin’s dismissal, Gutierrez-Reed’s defense sought the same relief on the ground that prosecutors had also suppressed evidence at her trial. In September 2024, Judge Sommer denied motions for a new trial and dismissal, ruling the defense had not shown a reasonable probability that the withheld evidence would have changed the verdict.12The Guardian. Rust Shooting Appeal Denied for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed The conviction remains on appeal to a higher court, with her attorneys citing numerous errors by the trial judge; no appellate ruling had been issued as of mid-2025.11Variety. Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Released on Parole
Gutierrez-Reed was released on parole in May 2025 after roughly 14 months, with credits for good behavior, completion of an addiction program, and pre-sentence time served. Her parole conditions include electronic monitoring, a curfew, employment or school enrollment, a mental health assessment, and a ban on possessing firearms until parole expires in 2026. She was paroled to Arizona and is concurrently serving 18 months of probation for a separate guilty plea to carrying a firearm in a bar.13NBC News. Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Released
David Halls’s Plea
First assistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun and called it “cold” (industry shorthand for safe), pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. In March 2023, Judge Sommer sentenced him to six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, and a firearm safety course. As part of the deal, Halls agreed to testify truthfully at any hearings or trials involving other defendants.14ABC News. Rust Assistant Director David Halls Sentenced
The Hutchins Family Settlement
Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s husband, and their son filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Baldwin and the Rust production company. The parties reached a settlement in October 2022, which a judge formally approved on June 1, 2023. Financial terms were not publicly disclosed, though the court ordered that the portion designated for the couple’s minor son, Andros, would be paid through annuities when he reaches the ages of 18 and 22.15ABC News. Judge Approves Settlement in Rust Shooting Lawsuit As part of the agreement, Matthew Hutchins became an executive producer on the film when production resumed.16BBC. Rust Shooting Settlement Approved
Crew Members’ Settlement
Three crew members — dolly operator Ross Addiego, costumer Doran Curtin, and key grip Reese Price — filed a 2023 negligence lawsuit alleging producers “cut corners, ignored reports of multiple, unscripted firearms discharges, and persisted, rushed and understaffed, to finish the film.” On June 30, 2025, both sides filed a joint motion confirming that all claims had been settled, with each party bearing its own costs. Terms were not disclosed.17Los Angeles Times. Rust Producers, Alec Baldwin Settle Crew Members Lawsuit
The Svetnoy Case Heading to Trial
The most significant remaining civil case was brought by Serge Svetnoy, the film’s gaffer, who was standing a few feet from Hutchins when the gun discharged. Svetnoy alleges the bullet narrowly missed him and that he suffered severe emotional distress.18Rolling Stone. Alec Baldwin Rust Shooting Lawsuit, Gaffer Moves Ahead He sued Baldwin, El Dorado Pictures, and Rust Movie Productions for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and punitive damages.
In April 2026, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter denied the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. The judge found Svetnoy had presented “adequate evidence that Baldwin had some level of control over the film’s budget, cast, crew, and day-to-day operations,” creating a triable question about Baldwin’s safety duties. The court also ruled that “a reasonable jury could find that Mr. Baldwin recklessly disregarded the probability that pointing a gun in the direction of someone, with the finger on the trigger, would cause emotional distress.”19Variety. Alec Baldwin Rust Shooting Civil Trial The judge dismissed a separate assault claim, finding no evidence Baldwin intended to harm anyone. Baldwin has maintained he had no knowledge the firearm was loaded and has said he did not pull the trigger. Trial is scheduled for October 12, 2026.20The Guardian. Alec Baldwin Civil Lawsuit, Rust Movie
Baldwin’s Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit
In January 2025, Baldwin sued the prosecutors and investigators who handled his criminal case, alleging malicious prosecution, civil rights violations, and defamation. He accused investigators and prosecutors of targeting him for political or professional gain. The suit names special prosecutor Morrissey, DA Carmack-Altwies, three Santa Fe County sheriff’s investigators, and the county board of commissioners.21Los Angeles Times. Alec Baldwin Lawsuit, Wrongful Prosecution The case was dismissed in July 2025 for inactivity, reinstated in September 2025 at Baldwin’s request, and moved to federal court in October 2025 after the defendants argued the federal civil rights claims warranted a federal venue. It was pending as of late 2025.22U.S. News. Malicious Prosecution Lawsuit by Alec Baldwin Moves to Federal Court
Workplace Safety Penalty
New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau found that Rust Movie Productions had exposed employees to serious hazards associated with firearm use. The agency initially issued a “willful” citation — the highest level — and the maximum allowable fine of $136,793.23ABC News. Rust Movie Productions Issued Willful Citation Investigators found management knew safety procedures were not being followed and failed to act, that daily safety meetings required when firearms were present were not held, and that Gutierrez-Reed was not given adequate time or resources to perform her duties.
Under a February 2023 settlement, the willful citation was reclassified to “serious,” and the company agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty. For five years, the production must give the safety bureau 30 days’ notice before starting any production in New Mexico, and the bureau retains the right to conduct on-site inspections.24New Mexico Environment Department. OHSB Rust Investigation Report Materials