Charges against actor Alec Baldwin related to a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” have been dropped, according to multiple reports citing his attorneys and other sources.
“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, attorneys for Baldwin, said in a statement, according to ABC News.
Nikas also told CNN that prosecutors plan to file a notice to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charges against his client.
During a rehearsal on the set of the western in October 2021, Baldwin – now 64 – was holding a prop gun that discharged. A bullet from the gun hit and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and wounded director Joel Souza, 49. Baldwin has said that he did not know the gun was loaded with live ammunition.
In January, First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies of New Mexico announced that charges will be filed against Baldwin for the shooting. By the following month, the charges had been lessened.
“It is not appropriate for me to make extra judicial comments at this time,” said Kari Morrissey, Special Prosecutor on the Santa Fe, New Mexico case, in a statement to CNN. The Santa Fe district attorney’s office declined to comment, according to ABC News.
According to an unnamed source cited by CNN, the decision to dismiss charges against Baldwin was made “after new evidence came to the attention of investigators indicating the gun used in the shooting had been modified.”
The New York Times said the decision also came after “a new team of prosecutors took over the case,” also citing an anonymous source.
Attorney Rachel Fiset told KNX Newsradio this week that “politics” were involved in the initial decision to charge Baldwin and this recent decision to drop the charges. Per the Times, new findings “undercut the prosecution’s original argument that the gun could not have fired unless Mr. Baldwin had pulled the trigger.”
“Investigators will be examining the weapon to determine the extent of the modifications, which could have impacted how the gun functioned,” said CNN’s source.
Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the charges in a court filing.
ABC News reported that Baldwin’s next court appearance in the case had been set for May 3, and that he already waived his right to appear at the preliminary hearing.
This week, NPR reported that filming of “Rust” was expected to begin again as early as Thursday at Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana.
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