A 9-year-old girl who was being taught how to fire a submachine gun accidentally killed her instructor at a shooting range, various sources reported0.
The instructor was reportedly giving her a lesson when the recoil from the automatic fire caused her to lose control of the Uzi.
CNN reported, citing the Mohave County Sheriff's Office that the girl was with her parents. The website of 'Bullets and Burgers', the shooting range where the mishap reportedly took place, says children between 8 to 17 years of age can shoot weapons if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The 39-year-old firing-range instructor recognized as Charles Vacca of Lake Havasu City, was accidentally shot in the head around 10 am on Tuesday.
He was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead at around 9 pm, officials said.
The parents of the girl filmed the shooting lesson that was taking place and the footage showed the instructor coaching her as she fires a single shot at a target at the Last Stop shooting range located in White Hills, Arizona.
The Uzi then appears to be switched to the automatic mode as the girl pulls the trigger and loses her grip on the weapon. The video, which was edited and released by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office abruptly ends before the fatal head shot.
It is common in many parts of the US where children are taught how to use firearms, the BBC notes, although many firing ranges have strict safety rules for teaching small children.
Uzis Fact File:
- It is a submachine gun designed in the 1050s for Israel's army
- It is capable of automatic or semi-automatic fire
- It has a standard rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute
- The weapon is reported to be exported to many countries and is used in many civil wars and conflicts.
