T
he case against Alec Baldwin following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has been dismissed, his lawyers have said.
The Hollywood actor faced two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting, which occurred on the set of the Rust movie in October 2021.
A statement from Baldwin’s attorneys, shared with the PA news agency on Thursday, 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.”
Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The announcement comes less than two weeks before a preliminary hearing in the case, where it was to be determined whether there was enough evidence to take it to trial.
Baldwin and the film’s weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting.
The actor, 65, was pointing a pistol at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun when off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Halyna Hutchins
/ VIA REUTERSBaldwin has said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger. An FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
The case against Baldwin had already been diminishing. A weapons charge that would have meant a much longer sentence had already been dismissed, and the first special prosecutor in the case resigned.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the charge against Gutierrez-Reed would also be dropped.
The charges against Baldwin had marked a stunning fall for an A-list actor whose 40-year career included the early blockbuster The Hunt for Red October and a starring role in the sitcom 30 Rock, as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s Glengary Glen Ross.
In recent years, he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
Rust safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest in March to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm and a suspended sentence of six months of probation.
Earlier on Thursday it was reported that production on the Rust movie was resuming in the US state of Montana, 18 months after the fatal shooting.
Filming will resume at Montana’s Yellowstone Film Ranch set, according to Melina Spadone, a lawyer for Rust Movie Productions.
The legal representative also stressed that all use of working weapons or ammunition is, “and always has been”, prohibited on set.
In a statement, Spadone said: “The production will continue to utilise union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition.”
In October, Baldwin settled a lawsuit with the cinematographer’s husband, Matt Hutchins, under which filming would restart with the same actors and director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the 2021 shooting.
Under the settlement, Hutchins became an executive producer on the movie. Mr Souza has said he will return to directing “Rust” production to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.
After a scathing safety review by regulators in New Mexico that detailed ignored complaints and misfires before Hutchins’ death in October of 2021, the production company agreed to pay a $100,000 fine (£80,375).
