Young girl kills instructor at firing range

A FIREARMS instructor in Arizona was killed when a nine-year-old girl pulled the trigger on an automatic weapon.

Charles Vacca, aged 39, from Lake Havasu City was airlifted to hospital in Las Vegas, where he died on Monday.

It has been reported by the Mohave County sheriff’s office that the girl was at the Last Stop outdoor shooting range in the desert when she lost control of an Uzi set on automatic mode.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the youngster had successfully fired the 9mm weapon in single shot mode when Vacca decided to set the gun to ‘fully automatic.’

The nine-year-old pulled the trigger, and the recoil forced her arms up and over her head, hitting Charles Vacca – who was standing beside her – numerous times. Sheriff Jim McCabe said that Vacca was shot at least once in the head.

Under Arizona’s firearms laws, minors can fire weapons in shooting ranges if they are accompanied by a parent, guardian or instructor.

The Last Stop outdoor range is 30 acres of desert designed to simulate a ‘Desert Storm’ scenario, according to their website. Children over the age of eight are allowed to participate on the range if accompanied.