The manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin has been dropped

The manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin has been dropped

Baldwin shot photographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust in the fall of 2021. Baldwin thought the gun was safe.

The prosecutor has given up the American actress Alec Baldwin of the indictment filed against him, say the actor’s lawyers.

Baldwin was charged in January by a cameraman Halyna Hutchins wrongful death.

Hutchins died from a bullet fired by Baldwin on the set of Rust in the fall of 2021.

Baldwin was rehearsing a scene with a handgun that was supposed to have only bang charges. However, there was a real bullet in the gun. The gun went off, killing the cameraman and the director Joel Souza was wounded.

– We are pleased with the decision to drop the charges against Alec Baldwin and support the initiation of a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident, said Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro in his statement.

The New Mexico State Attorney’s Office has not yet commented on the matter.

The assistant director who gave the crash gun to Baldwin Dave Halls received a reduced six-month suspended prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to negligent use of a dangerous weapon. According to the prosecutor, Halls was responsible for the security issues of the filming.

Also the gun master of the movie Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is charged with manslaughter. Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers said in a statement that they expect the charges against her to be dropped as well.

Baldwin, who has appeared in numerous films and television series since the 1980s, is scheduled to resume filming this week in the western state of Montana.

Sources: Reuters, AFP, AP, STT

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