A New Mexico judge has dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin on Friday.

The comedian and producer known for his versatility in dramatic and comic roles, was involved in a tragic incident on October 21, 2021, on the set of the film “Rust.”

During the filming, Mr Baldwin discharged a prop gun, which resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza. 

The gun was supposed to be loaded with blanks, but it contained a live round (real bullets).

As a result of the incident, Mr Baldwin faced both legal and public scrutiny. 

Investigations were launched to determine how the live round ended up in the prop gun, and several lawsuits were filed against Mr Baldwin and other parties involved in the production of “Rust.” 

Mr Baldwin expressed deep sorrow over the incident and maintained that he was unaware the gun contained a live round.

Following the dismissal, the lead prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey transitioned from questioning witnesses to taking the stand herself. 

She explained why a batch of ammunition turned into the state several months ago by a witness claiming it was related to the “Rust” shooting, had been filed under a different case and not handed over to the defence.

“It was my impression that they did not match the live rounds from the set of ‘Rust,’” Ms. Morrissey said.

The evidence emerged on Thursday when a crime-scene technician informed the court that a retired police officer, Troy Teske, had handed over live ammunition potentially linked to the case.

According to the New York Times, the new evidence was brought into the courtroom in a manila envelope. 

Judge Marlowe Sommer put on blue latex gloves, cut it open with a pair of scissors and got down from the bench to examine the ammunition inside in the well of the courtroom as the prosecution and defence surrounded her. 

The examination determined that three of the rounds did, in fact, resemble the live rounds found on the set of “Rust” after the shooting.

“I never saw them until today,” Ms. Morrissey testified when she took the stand.

The lead prosecutor, Ms. Morrissey had blamed the movie’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, for the live rounds, which the armourer denied. 

Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for loading the live round into the gun that Mr Baldwin was rehearsing with, and is currently serving 18 months in prison.

Mr Baldwin still faces civil lawsuits, including one from Ms. Hutchins’s husband, Matthew Hutchins. Although a settlement was announced in that case, it has not been fully resolved.