LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Actor Alec Baldwin on Friday was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico for a second time on charges of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the 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.
Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, issued a statement on Friday on behalf of their client saying, “We look forward to our day in court.”
Friday’s indictment followed an independent forensic test concluding that 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 Hutchins. The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.
Baldwin, who starred in the hit NBC television comedy “30 Rock,” has denied pulling the trigger and said he was not responsible for Hutchins’ death.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey previously said she would file new charges against Baldwin if the independent test showed the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver was in “working condition.”
Prosecutors previously dismissed charges against 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 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.”
Baldwin was originally charged in January with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. Those charges were dropped in April.
The movie’s chief weapons handler, Hannah Gutierrez, was also charged. She faces a 2024 trial.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico, and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank McGurty)
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