Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter again over Rust shooting

Alec Baldwin has been indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico for a second time on charges of involuntary manslaughter relating to the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of western film Rust.

Ms Hutchins died after a prop firearm the actor was practising with went off in October 2021, during filming in New Mexico.

Mr Baldwin, who was a producer on Rust as well as its lead actor, has always insisted he is not responsible for her death, did not pull the trigger on the gun and only drew back the hammer of the pistol.

Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, on Friday issued a statement on behalf of Baldwin saying: “We look forward to our day in court.”

The indictment comes after prosecutors previously dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges filed against the actor in April last year.

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At the time prosecutors said they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.

Since then, independent forensic tests commissioned by special prosecutors have concluded that the actor would have had to pull the trigger of the revolver he was using in a rehearsal for it to fire the live round that killed Hutchins.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey previously said she would file new charges against Baldwin if the independent test showed the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver was in “working condition”.

Prosecutors previously dismissed charges against Baldwin based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled.

The single-page indictment filed with the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe charges Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter under two alternative bases of law – causing a death by “negligent use of a firearm” and by acting “without due caution or circumspection”.

Gloria Allred, a lawyer representing Ms Hutchins’ family said they are “looking forward to the criminal trial”.

They said: “Our clients have always sought the truth about what happened on the day that Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed.

“They continue to seek the truth in our civil lawsuit for them and they also would like there [sic] to be accountability in the criminal justice system.”

The movie’s chief weapons handler, Hannah Gutierrez, has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter over Ms Hutchin’s death and faces a 2024 trial.

She has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case.

Additional reporting by Reuters.