Criminal charges against Alec Baldwin may be revived in the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
CNN revealed on Tuesday that a New Mexico grand jury will decide Baldwin's fate.
In August, an independent forensic report showed the gun Baldwin held in front of Hutchins fired normally. The conclusion that it functioned correctly – meaning the actor likely pulled the trigger – raised the possibility of new charges.
CNN explains that prosecutors will present their case to a grand jury in the next two months:
“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” New Mexico special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said in a statement Tuesday. “We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”
“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution,” Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, told CNN in a statement. “We will answer any charges in court.”
Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza injured when a gun held by Baldwin fired a live round during a scene rehearsal.
Baldwin denied pulling the trigger on the weapon in a previous interview with CNN.
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