Alec Baldwin involuntary manslaughter case dismissed

A New Mexico judge has dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin over the shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, saying it cannot be filed again.

The move came after Baldwin's lawyers alleged police hid evidence of the source of the live round that killed Ms Hutchins.

Three days after Baldwin's trial began in New Mexico, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer made the ruling after hearing evidence on the defence request made earlier on Friday.

The actor's lawyers said the Santa Fe sheriff's office took possession of live rounds as evidence in the case but failed to list them in the Rust investigation file or disclose their existence to defence lawyers.

Baldwin could be seen crying as the decision was announced, and he immediately hugged his wife Hilaria as court was excused for the day.

The decision came after a chaotic hearing Friday just a few days into Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial related to the fatal shooting of Hutchins on October 21, 2021, on the New Mexico set of the film Rust.

Baldwin had pleaded not guilty and could have faced up to 18 months in prison.