The case against Alec Baldwin is to be dropped. The US actor had fired a deadly shot at a camerawoman while filming.
The criminal case against Hollywood star Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of a camerawoman during a western shoot is to be dropped. This was announced by the actor’s lawyers on Thursday.
Baldwin accidentally shot and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a revolver during a rehearsal for low-budget western Rust in October 2021. The Colt .45 was loaded with a real bullet, but it is still unclear how this could have happened. Baldwin was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, he could have faced up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Filming resumes
Baldwin, known for films such as ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘The Temptation of Blondes’ and the series ’30 Rock’, has denied any responsibility for Hutchins’ death. He claims he had no way of knowing there was live ammunition in the Colt. The US actor, who is one of the producers of “Rust”, had previously been given the gun with the words that it was “cold” – i.e. not loaded with live ammunition.
The production company Rust Movie Productions only announced on Tuesday that filming should resume later in the week. The “Rust” producers had already announced in February that shooting for the low-budget western would continue in the spring. Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins will be involved as a producer. That was part of an out-of-court settlement last February, in exchange for which Matthew Hutchins withdrew his civil suit.
