Alec Baldwin Indicted on 'Rust' Shooting Manslaughter Charge

Alec Baldwin has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (and injuring director Joel Souza) on the set of indie film Rust in 2021, Variety reports.

The charges were initially brought forth last January. Baldwin entered a not-guilty plea in February, and they were dropped in April after his defence team raised questions about whether his Colt .45 prop gun was working properly when it was unintentionally fired while rehearsing a scene. (He has maintained that he did not pull the trigger.)

However, additional facts supporting what prosecutors described as Baldwin's "criminal culpability" came to light in the investigation in October, leading to a new involuntary manslaughter charge that he has now been indicted on. The actor faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

"We look forward to our day in court," Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement.

Filming on Rust was completed in 2023. Meanwhile, armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is set to go on trial next month on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence after mistakenly loading a live bullet into Baldwin's gun, which was supposed to contain only dummies.