Criminal charges against Alec Baldwin over Rust set shooting dropped

Alec Baldwin's lawyers said they are 'pleased with the decision' to drop the criminal case against their client, as Rebecca Barry reports

The case against actor Alec Baldwin following cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the 'Rust' film set has been dismissed, his lawyers have said.

The US actor faced two counts of involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting, which occurred on the set of the Hollywood western in October 2021.

A statement from Baldwin's attorneys 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."

The 65-year-old had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Ms Hutchins during a film rehearsal when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

The actor said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger, but an FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.

Thursday's announcement comes less than two weeks before there was set to be a preliminary hearing in the case, where it was to be determined whether or not there was enough evidence to take it to trial.

Production on the movie had also resumed on Thursday in the US state of Montana.

Both the Santa Fe district attorney and the special prosecutor in the case, Andrea Reeb, had previously stepped down from the case.

Their decisions came after much back-and-forth between the two sides, with Baldwin's lawyers arguing that Ms Reeb's involvement was "unconstitutional" due to her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives.

In turn the District Attorney's office had accused Baldwin of using his "fancy attorneys" to "distract from the gross negligence" in the case.

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.

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