Alec Baldwin posts to social media, thanking his wife and his attorney, after ‘Rust’ shooting charges are dropped

Alec Baldwin took to social media late Thursday afternoon, hours after learning charges against him in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were dropped.

The photo, apparently from a different day, shows Baldwin smiling serenely, with his eyes closed, resting his head against hers. “I owe everything I have to this woman,” he captioned the picture, adding, “(and to you, Luke).”

The latter is an obvious reference to his attorney, Luke Nikias.

Earlier in the day, Nikias responded to the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office’s decision to drop charges against his client, stating, “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.”

Baldwin, 65, had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting cinematographer Hutchins, 42, on the New Mexico set of the Western in October 2021. The actor was practicing a cross-draw when the gun fired, striking the cinematographer and director Joel Souza, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over Hutchins’ death.

The movie is resuming production with a new safety team and Hutchins’ widower, Matthew, as one of its executive producers.