Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed arrives in court as jury is chosen for her involuntary manslaughter trial after Alec Baldwin accidentally killed cinematographer with gun she'd prepped

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been seen arriving in court as a jury was selected for her trial over the 2021 death of a cinematographer who was shot by Alec Baldwin. 

Halyna Hutchins died in 2021 after Gutierrez-Reed mistakenly loaded a live round into a reproduction Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin was rehearsing with on a movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

The revolver Baldwin was holding fired the round that killed Hutchins. He said he had accidentally killed Hutchins and denies pulling the trigger.

Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin both face a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Apart from involuntary manslaughter, Gutierrez-Reed is also being tried on charges of tampering with evidence.

She has pleaded not guilty and claims that she is not directly to blame for Hutchins' death. If found guilty, Gutierrez-Reed could be sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $5,000.

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was seen arriving in court as a jury was selected for her trial of the 2021 death of a cinematographer who was shot by Alec Baldwin

Gutierrez-Reed, right, arrives at the First Judicial District Courthouse in Santa Fe, N.M., on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, for the start of her trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence

The revolver Baldwin was holding fired the round that killed Hutchins. He said he had accidentally killed Hutchins and denies pulling the trigger

Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie 'Rust,' was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured) during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her

Twelve jurors and four alternates have sworn in for trial that begins on February 22.

Of the 12 jurors selected, seven are male and five are female. The four alternate jurors are male, court spokesman Barry Massey said. 

Jurors were chosen from a pool of 70 residents from the Santa Fe area including non-English speakers, a welder, a teacher, a graduate student and a mother who provides for six children. 

Prosecutors had asked potential jurors about their exposure to intensive media coverage and social media chatter about the case.

More than 40 people are listed as witnesses for the trial set to run through March 6. 

Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for storage, maintenance and handling of firearms and ammunition on set and for training members of the cast who would be handling firearms, according to state workplace safety regulators. 

Baldwin is seen in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sherriff's office

The gun Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (pictured)

On February 1, Baldwin has been spotted looking glum while walking the streets of New York City - a day after he pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Court documents filed on January 31 show Baldwin entered the not guilty plea in state district court in Santa Fe, waiving an arraignment that had been scheduled to take place remotely by video conference.

A grand jury in Santa Fe indicted Baldwin in January after prosecutors received a new analysis of that gun, renewing a charge that prosecutors originally filed and then dismissed in April 2023. 

Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

His lawyers called the prosecution 'misguided' and pushed for speedy court proceedings to 'minimize public vilification and suspicion' against the actor.

Baldwin remains free pending trial under conditions that include not possessing firearms, consuming alcohol or leaving the country. 

The sour-faced actor, 65, wore gray trousers with a fleece-lined jacket and glasses as he strolled on his own around Manhattan

The gun Baldwin was holding killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Rust movie set in 2021. His lawyers have now pushed for a speedy trial to 'minimize public suspicion and vilification'

The fatal shooting of Hutchins has resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins' family, centered on accusations that Baldwin and producers of 'Rust' were lax with safety standards. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed those allegations.

'Rust' assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the fatal shooting.

Rust Movie Productions has already paid a $100,000 fine to the state following a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols. 

The report included testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before Hutchins was shot. 

Industry-wide guidance that applied to 'Rust' says to 'treat all firearms as if they are loaded.' 

Baldwin's trial date has yet not been set.