Nine-year-old girl accidentally kills shooting instructor with gun 28-08-2014
DOLAN SPRINGS, ARIZONA: A 9-year-old girl accidentally
killed an Arizona shooting instructor as he was showing her how to use an
automatic Uzi, authorities said.
Charles Vacca, 39, died on Monday shortly after being
airlifted to University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, Mohave County sheriff's
officials said Tuesday. Vacca was standing next to the girl at the Last Stop
outdoor shooting range when she pulled the trigger and the recoil sent the gun
over her head, investigators said.
Video released on Tuesday by sheriff's officials shows
the 9-year-old, wearing a gray T-shirt and pink shorts with her hair pulled
back in a long braid, holding the firearm in both hands. Vacca, standing to her
left, tells her to turn her left leg forward.
“All right, go ahead and give me one shot,” he tells
the girl, whose back is to the camera during the entire 27-second video. He
then cheers when she fires one round at the target. “All right full auto,” Vacca says. The video,
which does not show the actual incident, ends with a series of shots being
heard.
Authorities said the girl was at the shooting range
with her parents. Her name was not released. A woman who answered the phone at
the shooting range said it had no comment. She did not provide her name. It is
not known if the range had an age limit on shooting or if the girl was going
through a safety class.
Ronald Scott, a Phoenix-based firearms safety expert,
said most shooting ranges have an age limit and strict safety rules when
teaching children to shoot. He said instructors usually have their hands on
guns when children are firing high-powered weapons.
“You can’t give a 9-year-old an Uzi and expect her to
control it,” Scott said. |