Actor Alec Baldwin has been indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on a new charge of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust.
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, was holding a Colt .45 during rehearsals for the low-budget Western in New Mexico when it discharged a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the October 2021 shooting and said that he did not pull the trigger on the gun, which in any case should have been loaded with a dummy round.
Prosecutors in April had dismissed previous charges against the actor.
Friday's indictment followed an independent forensic test that concluded that Baldwin had to have pulled the trigger for it to have fired the live round that killed Hutchins.
The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.
Baldwin reportedly faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted.
"We look forward to our day in court," his attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement carried by the trade title Variety.
In the United States, a grand jury is a group of citizens convened to assess evidence and decide whether there is enough evidence of criminality - or probable cause - to justify putting an individual on trial.
Prosecutors often use grand juries, as they are an easier means to prove probable cause and proceed to trial than filing a criminal complaint that can be probed by defence lawyers at a preliminary hearing, legal experts say.
Baldwin and his fellow producers are also facing civil proceedings from around a dozen plaintiffs over the death.
A criminal case is ongoing against the film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who is due to go on trial next month.
Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering charges. Prosecutors say that as the person who loaded the gun, she is culpable.
There has been no explanation as to how live rounds ended up on the film set.
Dave Halls, the film's safety coordinator and assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to six months' probation.
Filming of Rust resumed last year and has now been completed, Variety reported, using new locations in the US state of Montana.
The cinematographer's widower, Matthew Hutchins, served as an executive producer.
He has already settled a wrongful death suit with Rust producers and has said he has "no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame", calling his wife's death "a terrible accident".
Director Souza also returned, saying at the time that completing the film would be "bittersweet" but that the cast and crew "are committed to completing what Halyna and I started."
Source: Reuters, AFP
