Involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor Alec Baldwin over a fatal shooting on a film set have been formally dropped by US prosecutors.
A New Mexico court filing said the case against Baldwin "is dismissed without prejudice", but investigations remain "active and on-going" into the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the western Rust in New Mexico in October 2021.
Baldwin was holding a Colt .45 handgun during rehearsals when it discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
He has always insisted he was told the gun was safe and that he did not pull the trigger. Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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.
A Los Angeles Times report said prosecutors had received information that the gun had been modified in a manner increasing the odds it might have misfired, citing three anonymous sources.
The criminal case against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer who had been responsible for weapons on the set of the film, remains ongoing.
Filming of Rust resumed at a new location in Montana this week, with Baldwin and Souza among those returning to complete the film.
The criminal case against Baldwin had hit multiple legal problems in the past few months.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were each initially charged with two alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter.
But a so-called "firearm enhancement" that would have increased the jail term if they were convicted was dropped soon afterwards, due to an alleged technical error by prosecutors.
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and the case's previous special prosecutor Andrea Reeb both stepped aside from overseeing the case against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.
In a statement on Thursday, the new special prosecutors noted that the decision to drop charges "does not absolve Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled".
The family of the late Halyna Hutchins has said it will continue its civil lawsuit against Baldwin.
Source: AFP, PA
