All charges against actor Alec Baldwin related to his accidental fatal shooting of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins are reportedly being dropped, according to a Thursday report by The Daily Wire.
The accidental shooting took place on the set of the movie “Rust” when the actor fired a prop gun believed to be loaded with blanks. Director Joel Souza was struck also, suffering a non-life-threatening injury.
The 65-year-old Baldwin faced two counts of involuntary manslaughter, as ABC news reported.
“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,” Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, the attorneys for Alec Baldwin, said in a statement.
The investigation into Hutchins’ death is still ongoing and “this case could be resurrected in the future,” according to Deadline.
The paperwork dropping Baldwin’s charges is anticipated as soon as Thursday and will be submitted by recently appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis.
ABC and Deadline differ in their coverage regarding armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, with ABC reporting that she still faces charges and Deadline reporting that her charges are being dropped along with Baldwin’s.
The armorer is in charge of securing prop weapons and ammunition and related duties such as, in this instance, loading a prop gun with blanks rather than live, standard ammunition.
Baldwin claims never to have pulled the trigger.
More than a year after Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death, production resumed on “Rust,” the same day as the report regarding the charges against Baldwin. As part of an agreement to drop a wrongful death suit, Hutchins’ husband Matthew is now executive producing “Rust” and will executive produce a documentary on his late wife’s life and burgeoning career. Filming for “Rust” resumes with its original cast and production team.
Alec Baldwin performed in such films as “The Departed,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “The Cooler,” and was portrayed by a puppet in 2004’s “Team America: World Police.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
