Potential Backlash Feared by Witness in Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” Fatal Shooting Case

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On Friday, special prosecutors investigating the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust” requested anonymity for a key witness due to fears of industry retaliation. The witness is set to testify against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a film set armorer, who is being prosecuted for the incident.

The prosecutors disclosed that the witness is ready to testify regarding an incident where Gutierrez-Reed allegedly gave the witness a small bag of narcotics upon her return from a police station interview. However, concerns over media harassment and potential industry blacklisting have arisen.

Gutierrez-Reed is currently contesting charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering. She remains the only defendant in the case following the dismissal of Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charge in April, although the charges against him could be reinstated.

Baldwin was reportedly rehearsing with a gun aimed at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when the firearm discharged, resulting in Hutchins’ death and the injury of director Joel Souza on October 21, 2021.

In a recent court document, prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis expressed that the witness’s testimony about the alleged drug hand-off could substantiate claims that Gutierrez-Reed tried to obstruct law enforcement from acquiring firearm-related evidence before the shooting occurred.

The witness wishes to maintain their anonymity due to fears of being ostracized by the film industry for providing information about the defendant, the court document indicated.

Last week, Gutierrez-Reed was charged with evidence tampering. Prosecutors claim that she consumed alcohol and smoked marijuana during the “Rust” film shoot evenings and may have been hungover on the day a live bullet was loaded into Baldwin’s gun.

Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, denounced the prosecutors’ attempt to introduce a “secret witness”, comparing the move to outdated 15th-century English secret prosecutions. He labeled the tampering allegations against his client as “retaliatory and vindictive” and an act of “character assassination.”

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More about Alec Baldwin’s Rust shooting case

• Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Set Shooting Incident
• Involuntary Manslaughter Charges in Film Industry
• Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s Legal Troubles
• Alec Baldwin Charges Dropped
• On-set Safety in Film Production