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Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to manslaughter charge in 'Rust' shooting

Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 on-shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (File image)
Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 on-shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (File image)

Actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the 2021 on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western Rust in New Mexico.

Mr Baldwin made the plea as he waived his right to an arraignment after he was indicted by a grand jury on 19 January, court documents showed.

The 30 Rock actor was allowed to remain free without posting bond under the arraignment waiver with the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe.

Mr Baldwin was originally charged for the shooting in January 2023. Those charges were dropped a few months later based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might have been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died during the filming of 'Rust' in 2021

The new charges came after an independent forensic test concluding that Mr Baldwin would have had to have pulled the trigger of the revolver he was using in a rehearsal for it to fire the live round that struck Ms Hutchins in the chest and killed her.

The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.

Mr Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger and said he was not responsible for the death of Ms Hutchins.

The film's director, Joel Souza, was struck and wounded in the shoulder by the same bullet that killed Ms Hutchins during production of the film on a set outside Santa Fe.

Source: Reuters

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