In fatal Uzi shots, girl complained of recoil

This Aug. 27, 2014 file photo shows painted signs outside of the Last Stop outdoor shooting range, in White Hills, Ariz. Instructor Charles Vacca was accidentally killed Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at the range by a 9-year-old with an Uzi submachine gun. According to police reports released Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, the girl who accidentally killed the shooting range instructor had said immediately after the shooting that she felt the gun was too much for her and had hurt her shoulder.

This Aug. 27, 2014 file photo shows painted signs outside of the Last Stop outdoor shooting range, in White Hills, Ariz. Instructor Charles Vacca was accidentally killed Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at the range by a 9-year-old with an Uzi submachine gun. According to police reports released Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, the girl who accidentally killed the shooting range instructor had said immediately after the shooting that she felt the gun was too much for her and had hurt her shoulder.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

PHOENIX -- A 9-year-old girl who accidentally killed an instructor with an Uzi at an Arizona shooting range said immediately after the shooting that she felt the gun was too much for her and had hurt her shoulder, according to police reports released Tuesday.

The girl's family members were focused on her because they thought she was injured by the gun's recoil and didn't immediately realize instructor Charles Vacca had been shot until one of his colleagues ran over to him.

The police reports name the child's parents as Alex Gen and Alison MacLachlan. The family, whose hometown hasn't been revealed by investigators, had taken a shuttle Aug. 25 from Las Vegas to the Last Stop range in White Hills, Ariz., about 60 miles south.

After arriving, the girl, her parents, sister and brother took a monster truck ride before heading to the shooting range.

The girl's father was the first one in the party to handle a weapon. After he fired shots, Vacca instructed the girl on how to shoot the gun, showed her a shooting stance, and helped her fire a few rounds.

Then, he stepped back and let her hold the Uzi by herself. She fired the gun, and its recoil wrenched the Uzi upward, killing Vacca with a shot in the head, according to the report.

The girl dropped the Uzi, and Vacca fell to the ground. The girl ran toward her family, who huddled around her as she held her shoulder. Another instructor rushed over to help to Vacca. The other children were then taken away from the range, according to the report.

The report describes the family as shaken by the accident.

New Jersey-based lawyer Kevin Walsh said Tuesday that the girl's family was devastated and that they "prayed day and night that [Vacca] would survive his injury, and they continue to pray for his family during this terribly difficult time."

Prosecutors are not filing charges in the case. Arizona's workplace safety agency is investigating the shooting-range death.

County prosecutors said the instructor was probably the most criminally negligent person involved in the accident for having allowed the child to hold the gun without enough training. They also said the parents and child weren't criminally culpable.

Sam Scarmardo, the range's operator, said he never had a safety problem before at the range and said his policy of allowing children 8 and older to fire guns under adult supervision and an instructor's watchful eye is standard industry practice, though he noted his policies are under review.

He said the parents had signed waivers saying they understood the rules and were standing nearby recording video of the girl when the accident occurred.

Vacca's ex-wife and children said last week that they harbored no ill feelings toward the girl or her family. Instead, they said, they feel sorry for the child and want to comfort her.

A Section on 09/03/2014