Prosecutors have downgraded manslaughter charges brought against Alec Baldwin.
The Hollywood actor still faces up to 18 months in prison following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust."
The Santa Fe County district attorney dropped "firearm enhancement" charges brought against Baldwin, which would have carried a minimum sentence of five years in prison.
- Baldwin's legal team argued that prosecutors were incorrect to bring the enhancement charges against their client because they are based on a legal revision that came into effect after the shooting took place.
- A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said the charges were dropped to “avoid further litigious distractions.”
- Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for the weapons and ammunition on set, still face involuntary manslaughter charges.
Hutchins died after being shot in the chest by a prop gun fired by Baldwin on the set of the movie "Rust" in October 2021.
