Alec Baldwin’s attorneys have revealed that criminal involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor stemming from the fatal October 2021 Rust shooting resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins will be dropped.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident,” attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement.
Set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed still faces charges connected with the shooting, although attorneys are confident those charges will also be dropped.
“We fully expect at the end of this process that Hannah will also be exonerated,” her attorneys, Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion say.
“A third person involved in the on-set catastrophe, assistant director David Halls, previously pleaded no contest to a single count of petty misdemeanor negligent use of a deadly weapon. He had handed the gun to Baldwin before it was fired but neglected to make sure the gun didn’t hold live bullets,” according to the New York Post.
Hutchins’ family’s attorney said it was “clear what happened.”
Baldwin “had the gun, he says he pulled the hammer back, it fired, and she was killed. … The experts will look at it and make any determinations, but we don’t think this was caused by any defect in the weapon.”
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ family, Baldwin rejected, arguing the family was being “misguided.”
Rust has since resumed filming this week at a new location in Montana. Baldwin is both starring in and producing the film.