Manslaughter charges against Baldwin dropped, attorneys say
Washington, Apr 20 (EFE).- Prosecutors have dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin over the shooting death of photography director Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust,” the actor’s lawyers told US media outlets on Thursday.
“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,” said attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro in a statement.
Although there has been no confirmation as yet from prosecutors, the media expect that the withdrawal of the charges will be formalized in the coming hours.
Also on Thursday, the film’s production company resumed shooting on “Rust” in Montana 18 months after the deadly accident.
Hutchins died on Oct. 21, 2021, after she was shot with a pistol Baldwin was rehearsing with during filming in New Mexico, a gun that should have been loaded with blanks but which was loaded with at least one round of live ammunition.
The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office in January filed two charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin over Hutchins’ death.
The film’s armorer, who was responsible for ensuring that safety protocols were followed during the filming, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, while the first assistant director for “Rust,” David Halls, who handed the revolver to Baldwin, was sentenced last month to six months unsupervised probation as part of a plea deal after being charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon.
In March, the film’s production company and New Mexico authorities reached an agreement whereby the firm paid a fine of $100,000 for security failures on the movie set that were found during an investigation of the shooting.
Baldwin has consistently denied any responsibility in the tragedy and Gutierrez-Reed has maintained that she verified that the car0tridges she loaded into the Colt .45 revolver were blanks.
EFE –/bp
