All charges against Alec Baldwin following Rust shooting have been dropped
Charges made against Alec Baldwin following a fatal shooting on the set of his film Rust have been dropped.
Baldwin had been facing two charges of involuntary manslaughter over the shooting of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, in October 2021.
However, the actor's lawyers have now confirmed that the case against Baldwin, 65, has been dismissed.
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A statement from Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, on Thursday (20 April), said: “We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
The update comes just under two weeks before the high profile case was set to hold a preliminary hearing, where it would be determined if there was enough evidence to take it to trial.
On 21 October, 2022, on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set of Rust in New Mexico, Baldwin accidentally fatally shot Hutchins, 42, and injured the film's director, Joel Souza.
Court records released at the time showed the assistant director said 'cold gun' just before the shooting took place, not knowing the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court.
The film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had also denied knowing where the live rounds came from.
In January, prosecutors officially filed felony charges against both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.
Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
It's understood that Santa Fe prosecutors will be going ahead with involuntary manslaughter charges against Gutierrez-Reed, who has pleaded not guilty.
Responding to the news of the charges at the time, Halyna Hutchin's family had said they were in support of the charges, which gave them 'comfort' that 'no one is above the law'.
The actor has spoken in interviews about the tragic incident, recounting the details and insisting he has no reason to feel guilty.
Speaking to Good Morning America host, George Stephanopoulos back in December, Baldwin had said: "I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me.”
Baldwin added: “I mean, honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible. And I don't say that lightly.”
Baldwin also said that he and Hutchins ‘had something profound in common’, explaining: “And that is we both assumed the gun was empty.”
Topics: TV and Film, News, Celebrity
Ali Condon