In dismissal motion, Alec Baldwin says prosecutors abused the system

In January, the actor was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deadly shooting on the set of his movie "Rust."

Actor Alec Baldwin is accusing prosecutors of “violating nearly every rule in the book” in their effort to charge him in the deadly shooting on the set of his movie "Rust."

In January, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter following an indictment by a grand jury. This was the second time charges were filed against him after the initial charges were dropped months prior.

The fatal shooting on Oct. 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer on set, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter March 6 and will be sentenced in April.

Baldwin has maintained his innocence, saying that he was told he was handed a “prop gun” loaded with inert dummy rounds. He cooperated with the investigation at the scene, sitting for an hour-long interview and offering his phone to investigators. But the motion for dismissal does not focus on his behaviors but those of the prosecution, which Baldwin’s attorneys had accused of attempting to circumvent justice by manipulating the grand jury.

The motion accuses the State of several unethical behaviors, including alerting the media to the decision to file charges before telling Baldwin or his attorneys, using the charges for political gain, and going on a “viral press tour to tell the world that Baldwin was guilty and faced a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence.”