Involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor Alec Baldwin over a fatal shooting on a film set have been dropped by prosecutors.
A New Mexico court filing said the case against Baldwin "is dismissed without prejudice" - but investigations into death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins remain "active and on-going".
The court filing said "new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis which cannot be completed" in time for a preliminary hearing that was scheduled for May.
In October 2021, Baldwin was on the set of American Western film Rust when a handgun he was holding discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding film director Joel Souza.
The actor was charged with involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty, claiming he was told the gun was safe and he did not pull the trigger.
Sky's US Correspondent Martha Kelner told Newstalk there has been "a huge outcry from actors" in defense of Baldwin.
"[They say] actors on set shouldn't have ultimate responsibility for weapons on set and that responsibility should lie with the armourers who are in charge of the weapons on set," she said.
Security stands at the entrance to a film set where police say actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, killing a cinematographer, is seen outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. The Bonanza Creek Ranch film set has permanent structures for background used in Westerns, including "Rust," the film Baldwin was working on when the prop gun discharged.(AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)Civil lawsuit
The lawyer representing the family of Hutchins says Baldwin cannot pretend he's "just an actor in a wild west movie".
The family of Hutchins filed the civil lawsuit on February 9th to sue the actor and the Rust movie production company for alleged battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and loss of consortium.
Attorney Gloria Allred said the criminal acquittal will not affect the proceedings of this civil lawsuit.
“Mr Baldwin has tried to dismiss our civil case against him, and he has failed," she said in a statement.
“He cannot escape from the fact that he had a major role in a tragedy which had real life consequences for Halyna, her mother, father, sister, and co-worker."
Serge Svetnoy and Halyna Hutchins on set. Image: FacebookDocumentary
Baldwin - who resumed shooting the movie last week - is working on a documentary about the film.
According to Variety, the actor is allegedly cooperating with documentarian Rory Kennedy for a film focused on Hutchins’ death.
Director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, who were friends of Hutchins, are also creating a documentary that’s focused on the cinematographer's point of view.
The pair are filming the documentary with the permission of Hutchins' husband Matthew Hutchins, who is also an executive producer of Rust.
They were seen filming the documentary of the set of the Western film, which is now due to finish production at the end of May.
