Charges Against Alec Baldwin Dropped In Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting

Special prosecutors in New Mexico have dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin. The charges come from the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust.

The prosecutors, Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis, stated that “further investigation and forensic analysis” was needed in light of new facts coming to light. This all comes before the preliminary hearing that was scheduled on May 3.

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Morrissey and Lewis explained that the decision “does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.”

The new information in the case was that the prop gun involved in the shooting had been modified.

Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded on October 21, 2021, when a gun being held by Baldwin discharged. At the time, Baldwin had been told the gun did not contain live ammunition. The actor has also stated that he did not pull the trigger of the gun.

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Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in January and pleaded not guilty. Three crew members and Hutchins’ family have filed lawsuits against Baldwin and the film’s producers.

Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, sued Baldwin and other crew members early last year. A settlement was reached in October where Matthew Hutchins will serve as an executive producer of the film.

Filming resumed Thursday at Yellowstone Ranch in Montana. The movie is expected to require at least 20 more days of filming.

Rust‘s plot centers on a 13-year-old boy left alone with his younger brother after their parents’ death in 1880s Kansas. The young boys go on the run with their grandfather Harland Rust, played by Baldwin, after he is sentenced to death for the accidental killing of a rancher.