Criminal charges against Alec Baldwin over the fatal shooting on the set of his movie “Rust” have been dropped, according to his lawyers.
Baldwin, 65, was charged with involuntary manslaughter over the Oct. 21, 2021 shooting of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the Western movie, after a prop pistol he was using for a scene unexpectedly fired a real bullet.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, brought by the Santa Fe district attorney.
In a statement to The Post, Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said, “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.”
“Rust” director Joel Souza was standing behind Hutchins viewing a camera angle as Baldwin rehearsed a scene in which he was to draw his revolver and point it at the camera when the tragic incident occurred.
He was also wounded in the shooting, with the bullet striking his shoulder.
Filming for the movie is due to resume in Montana this week.
A second person accused of involuntary manslaughter alongside Baldwin, the film’s former armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is still facing charges in connection with the shooting.
A third person involved in the on-set catastrophe, assistant director David Halls, previously pleaded no contest to a single count of petty misdemeanor negligent use of a deadly weapon.
He had handed the gun to Baldwin before it was fired but neglected to make sure the gun didn’t hold live bullets.
After Hutchins had been shot she was treated at the scene and then transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital where she died.
A spokesperson for the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Despite Baldwin claiming he had never pulled the trigger of the gun, FBI investigators determined there was no other way the shot would have fired.
Investigators who scoured the ‘Rust’ set described finding a combination of live rounds and dummy bullets around the set, a blatant safety violation.
Earlier on the day of the shooting, the ammunition “was left on a cart on the set, not secured,” while the crew took a lunch break, previous police documents said.
The gun, the agency reported ruled, “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger.”
In January, a special prosecutor argued that Hutchins would be alive if proper steps had been taken.
“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today,” special prosecutor Andrea Reeb said. “It’s that simple.”
Reeb later stepped down from the case after a challenge from Baldwin’s lawyers who argued her role as a New Mexico lawmaker prevented her from also acting as special prosecutor in the case, as it would violate the state constitution.
Hutchins’ family sued Baldwin in February. They argued that he was at fault for Hutchins’ shooting death because he was the “person holding the weapon.”
The family’s attorney, Brian Panish said it was “clear what happened.”
“He had the gun, he says he pulled the hammer back, it fired, and she was killed. … The experts will look at it and make any determinations, but we don’t think this was caused by any defect in the weapon.”
Baldwin is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed.
