Alec Baldwin has sent a message to his wife Hilaria after his recent criminal charges were dropped.
The 65-year-old had been charged in relation to the movie set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The 42-year-old tragically died after a prop gun Baldwin had been holding had discharged a live round in October 2021, also injuring director Joel Souza, who survived.
On Thursday (April 20) Sky News reported that, despite Santa Fe prosecutors initially seeking two involuntary manslaughter charges against 65-year-old Baldwin, all criminal charges have been dropped, according to sources.
In response to the development, Baldwin's lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement via The New York Post: "We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident."
The Hollywood star had officially been charged with involuntary manslaughter back in January following Hutchins' tragic death. The news divided the movie industry, as well as the general public, with people disputing if Baldwin - an actor - should be blamed for a live gun on a movie set. Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene using the prop gun when it misfired.
Dave Halls, the assistant director of the movie, had reportedly signed a plea agreement for the charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon, per Sky News. Ever since the tragedy, Baldwin has maintained his innocence, accusing the movie's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed - who was also charged with involuntary manslaughter - of not ensuring the weapon was safe. Gutierrez-Reed is still facing the charges against her, per the Daily Mail.
Now, given that all charges have been dropped and Baldwin's name has essentially been cleared, the actor has taken to Instagram to send a heartfelt message to his wife Hilaria, 39. "I owe everything I have to this woman," the 30 Rock actor captioned an image of the pair, "(and to you, Luke)" he added, in reference to his lawyer Luke Nikas.
However, netizens took to the comments section to say that it was inappropriate for Baldwin to post selfies so soon after the charges were dropped. "Alec It really is not a time to publicly appear smug or victorious. Or be seeking any form of congratulations. A young woman died. You have not been found innocent in a court of law merely had charges dropped.
"Regardless of whether anyone is proven to be at fault, Halyna Hutchins is still the only victim here," the comment continued.
A further user added: "Today you could have made a statement about [Halyna], honor her memory and maybe set up a scholarship in her name. Nope, you chose to honor Spanish Spice. Matt doesn't get to honor his wife, Andros doesn't have a mother. Tone deaf!"
Filming of Rust is set to resume in Montana this week after a settlement was reached with Hutchins' husband, who will serve as an executive producer on the project.