Tuesday, August 26, 2014
A 39-year-old firing range instructor died Monday night at a hospital after he was accidentally shot in the head by a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.
Charles Vacca of Lake Havasu City was an instructor at a firing range in White Hills, Ariz., about 60 miles from Las Vegas. According to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, he was accidentally shot in the head around 10 a.m.
Vacca had been showing a 9-year-old girl how to fire an automatic Uzi when the accident happened, officials said. The girl pulled the trigger, and the gun’s recoil sent it over her head. Vacca was standing next to her when he was shot.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Las Vegas, where he died around 9 p.m., officials said.
The girl’s parents were with her at the time of the shooting, officials said. According to the Burgers and Bullets website, which organizes tours from Las Vegas to the range, 8 is the minimum age. The location advertises machine guns, military-style bunkers and specialty weapons.
A call to the firing range’s owner was not immediately returned.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s office released this video of Vacca and the 9-year-old girl at the shooting range moments before the fatal accident.
