Alec Baldwin breaks down in tears in court as his manslaughter charge gets dismissed in Rust shooting

Reports revealed earlier that Baldwin was holding a revolver during a scene when it fired, tragically killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

A dramatic turn of events unfolded last week in the legal battle surrounding the 2021 on-set shooting on the film Rust. Alec Baldwin, facing involuntary manslaughter charges for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, walked away a free man after the judge dismissed the case.

Alec Baldwin breaks down in tears in court as his manslaughter charge gets dismissed in Rust shooting

According to a report in BBC, the trial, which began just days ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico, collapsed unexpectedly after Baldwin's defense team raised concerns about withheld evidence. The judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, ruled that prosecutors had failed to disclose a key piece of evidence: a batch of ammunition that could have been potentially linked to the shooting. Baldwin broke down in tears as the judge delivered her lengthy dismissal. His wife, Hilaria, and other family members reacted with a mix of relief and emotion.

The shooting occurred in October 2021 during a rehearsal for the Western film Rust. Reports revealed earlier that Baldwin was holding a revolver during a scene when it fired, tragically killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. The incident sparked a wave of questions about gun safety protocols on sets and the use of live ammunition in film productions. A central focus of the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings was how live ammunition ended up on the set. Baldwin's lawyers vehemently argued that the authorities responsible for processing the scene made serious mistakes and that the overall investigation was flawed.

The dismissal of the case hinged on a motion filed by Baldwin's legal team, alleging that prosecutors had deliberately withheld a box of ammunition from the defense. This ammunition, turned over by a retired police officer with connections to the film's armorer, could have potentially shed light on the source of the live rounds that led to the shooting.

Prosecutors, however, maintained that the ammunition was irrelevant to the case and did not match the type found on set. Despite this argument, Judge Sommer ruled that withholding this information from the defense was a critical error. “The state's wilful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” she declared, as reported by BBC. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”

According to court documents and witness testimonies, the cast and crew of Rust were assured that Baldwin was handling a "cold gun," meaning it contained no live rounds. Safety protocols require that guns used on set be carefully checked and rechecked by the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and assistant director Dave Halls, before being handed to actors.

The shooting occurred during a scene with Baldwin seated in a church pew, holding the firearm pointed toward the camera. Witnesses described the immediate aftermath – the confusion, the injuries, and the realization of the tragedy. Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital but died shortly afterward.

The death of Halyna Hutchins has sparked a critical conversation about film production safety. Many in the industry are calling for stricter gun safety protocols and a complete ban on the use of live ammunition on sets. A petition garnered over 25,000 signatures in support of this ban.