Alec Baldwin charged again with manslaughter over Rust movie-set shooting

New Mexico grand jury indicts US actor over death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

US actor Alec Baldwin photographed on the set of the film Rust in New Mexico in 2022. AFP

Alec Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico for a second time on Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

It follows the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust.

The indictment comes months after prosecutors dismissed previous charges filed against the actor.

Mr Baldwin's lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, issued a statement on behalf of their client saying: “We look forward to our day in court.”

Friday's indictment followed an independent forensic test concluding that Mr Baldwin would have had to pull the trigger of a revolver he was using in a rehearsal for it to fire the live round that killed Ms Hutchins. The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.

Mr Baldwin, who starred in the hit NBC television comedy 30 Rock, has denied pulling the trigger and said he was not responsible for Ms Hutchins' death.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey previously said she would file new charges against Mr Baldwin if the independent test showed the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver was in “working condition”.

Prosecutors previously dismissed charges against Mr Baldwin based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled.

The single-page indictment filed with the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe charges Mr Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter under two alternative bases of law – causing a death by “negligent use of a firearm” and by acting “without due caution or circumspection.”

Mr Baldwin was originally charged in January 2023 with involuntary manslaughter in Ms Hutchins' death but those charges were dropped in April.

The movie's chief weapons handler, Hannah Gutierrez, was also charged. She faces a 2024 trial.