Charges against actor Alec Baldwin over 'Rust' shooting death formally dismissed

2019 filepic of actor Alec Baldwin. Prosecutors in New Mexico plan to drop an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film 'Rust'. – Photo: AP

New Mexico special prosecutors on Friday dropped charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 shooting death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, marking what many legal analysts said was a logical conclusion to a flawed prosecution.

The move followed new evidence about the gun Baldwin was holding when it fired the bullet that killed Hutchins during the movie's filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a person close to state prosecutors said.