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00:00 Alec Baldwin was, until recently, one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood.
00:05 But that all changed in October 2021.
00:07 Everybody stops what they're doing right now.
00:09 This is a crime scene.
00:11 While filming the movie Rust, the prop gun he was holding discharged.
00:16 Here he tells police he was holding the gun with a live round inside when it fired towards
00:20 the crew.
00:22 It killed Helena Hutchins, the 42-year-old Ukrainian-born cinematographer, a rising talent
00:27 in the industry.
00:28 The film's director, Joel Sosa, was also seriously injured.
00:33 Alec Baldwin was facing two charges of involuntary manslaughter.
00:36 Now two weeks before a trial was due to start, the case has been dropped.
00:40 Prosecutors say new information has come to light that will be investigated.
00:44 They add that charges against Mr. Baldwin may still be refiled in future.
00:49 Alec Baldwin's lawyer released a short statement.
00:52 We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage
00:56 a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.
01:01 The actor also made a brief comment on social media, thanking his wife for her support.
01:07 According to reports, prosecutors recently learned that the gun used had been modified
01:11 with a new trigger, making misfire more likely.
01:14 That according to one legal expert puts renewed focus on the crew member in charge of weapons
01:18 on set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter, charges
01:23 she denies.
01:24 We could indicate that there's now a different theory of the case, so that this really will
01:29 be based on the armour of Hannah Gutierrez and not against Alec Baldwin.
01:36 The news of the charges being dropped comes in the same week filming resumed for the Rust
01:40 movie, with Alec Baldwin continuing as the lead and Joel Sousa said to have recovered
01:45 enough to resume as director.