A MANSLAUGHTER charge Alec Baldwin has been facing for the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins will be dropped.
The news came on Thursday, just two weeks before court proceedings were set to begin in New Mexico.
Baldwin was charged after a prop gun he was using while filming his movie Rust fired while he had it pointed at Hutchins, Deadline reported.
The actor has claimed that he didn't pull the trigger while on the set outside of Santa Fe, but that was disputed in a report on the incident released by the FBI last year.
Prosecutors have dropped the charge against Baldwin without prejudice, but they could make a second attempt to convict the actor.
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The same charge has not been dropped for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer tasked with handling weapons on the set.
That allows authorities to keep the probe open and retain subpoena power as they continue their investigation.
Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin have both pleaded not guilty.
The development came the day before Baldwin was set to begin working on a new version of Rust in Montana with director Joel Souza, who was also injured in the shooting.
The Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to the U.S. Sun's request for comment.
