(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – In a shocking development, the involuntary manslaughter charge against ultra-liberal Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 fatal on-the-set shooting of a cinematographer will be dropped by prosecutors in New Mexico.
The development in the investigation of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’s killing during the filming of the Western film “Rust” was announced by Baldwin’s lawyers.
“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,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro declared in a statement.
As prosecutors didn’t comment on the announcement, it remained unclear if the manslaughter charge could be refiled, Newsmax reported.
The 65-year-old actor and the film’s weapons supervisor, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Alec Baldwin pointed a pistol at Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun went off. Besides killing the cinematographer, the bullet also wounded director Joel Souza.
Even though the actor has claimed that he didn’t pull the trigger and the pistol shot accidentally, a forensic report by the FBI said the gun couldn’t have fired without a trigger pulling.
The report points out that the first special prosecutor in the case resigned, while a weapons charge carrying a much bigger sentence was dropped, meaning the case against Baldwin had already been “diminishing.”
In February, the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office did away with the gun enhancement charges.
The statement by the actor’s lawyers left it unclear whether the New Mexico prosecutors would also drop the manslaughter charge against Gutierrez-Reed.
In March, “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm. As a result, he received a suspended sentence of six months of probation.
A report by The Daily Caller emphasized that the producers of “Rust” had received safety complaints, including labor unrest and accidental discharges.
Hours before the fatal shooting, six crew members allegedly left the set in protest against the working conditions.
Alec Baldwin is scheduled to appear in court on May 3 after waiving his right to appear at a preliminary hearing.
Baldwin’s 40-year-long career features films and shows such as “The Hunt for Red October,” the sitcom “30 Rock,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
In recent years, Baldwin has angered conservatives by playing a mocking role of former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”
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