Lawyers for American actor Alec Baldwin have announced that prosecutors in the southwestern state of New Mexico intend to withdraw criminal charges against their client concerning a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust in 2021.
Mr Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, expressed satisfaction with the decision to dismiss the lawsuit in a statement on Thursday.
“We encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” they said.
Mr Baldwin was accused of violating safety regulations on site and not attending the required handgun training before filming by New Mexico prosecutors, who filed charges against him in January.
In a probable cause statement, the prosecutors stated that “Baldwin’s failure to ensure minimum standards were met is considered reckless in the industry.” They said that by pointing a real gun at Souza and Hutchins and pulling the trigger, Mr Baldwin exhibited “negligent” behaviour.
Mr Baldwin claimed that he believed the gun was unloaded and pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
He first claimed that he had not pressed the trigger, but a subsequent FBI examination indicated that the gun “functioned normally” and would not have fired otherwise.
Two well-known members of the prosecution team have also left in recent months.
Andrea Reeb, a special prosecutor, was forced to resign in March after Baldwin’s lawyers claimed her appointment was unlawful since she had recently been elected to the state assembly.
Shortly after, Santa Fe County district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies resigned from the case, appointing two new special prosecutors in her place.
Mr Baldwin had already struck an agreement with the Hutchins family, who described the incident as a “terrible accident.”
Her widower, Matthew Hutchins, was appointed executive producer on the movie as part of the settlement, as filming resumed Thursday at Montana’s Yellowstone Film Ranch set.
