American actor Alec Baldwin has been charged with manslaughter again after a fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust in 2021, the prosecutor leading the investigation announced Friday.

The case against him was officially closed in April, but prosecutors warned at the time that the actor had not been acquitted and could face new charges.

In their press release announcing this new twist, prosecutors did not explain what prompted the justice system to bring the 65-year-old actor back to the center of the case.

On October 21, 2021, the filming of the Western movie “Rust” in New Mexico (Southwestern United States) took a tragic turn when Baldwin aimed a gun that was supposed to contain blank cartridges, but the real shell killed the director of the pictures Galina Hutchins and the injured director Joel Souza.

In January, 65-year-old Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Santa Fe prosecutors charged him with criminal negligence when the gun he was rehearsing a scene with fired and discharged a live bullet that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

In February, the actor pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors dropped charges of aggravated battery against the actor.

The actor emphasized his innocence from the very beginning. He has always maintained that he was assured that his gun was harmless and also denied pulling the trigger.

According to American media, he faces up to 18 months in prison if found guilty.

The film’s gunman, Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter.

During the initial investigation, police concluded that she was the one who put the cartridges in the gun used by Baldwin instead of the fake bullet.

In late March, assistant director Dave Halls was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors said he was responsible for ensuring security on the set.