The fateful seconds before nine-year-old girl accidentally shot her gun instructor dead with an Uzi: Video of child losing control of submachine gun after being told to go 'full auto' released by cops
- Charles Vacca, a father and army veteran, was assisting the little girl at a shooting range just south of Las Vegas on Monday morning
- She pulled the trigger of an automatic Uzi and the recoil sent the gun over her head, shooting Vacca
- He was airlifted to hospital but died on Monday evening
- Girl was with her parents at Bullets and Burgers shooting range on vacation from New Jersey
- No charges are to be filed because Bullets and Burgers is licensed and legal
Tragic: This screen grab shows the split second before the nine-year-old girl shoots Charles Vacca in the head. In the frame, the girl can clearly be seen to have lost her double handed grip on the Uzi as it recoils after firing. Her left hand is prized free as bullets fire (seen hitting behind the target circled in red). The gun is in her right hand and is clearly moving towards Vacca
These images show the seconds before a nine-year girl accidentally shot her gun instructor dead on Monday.
Recorded at the Bullets and Burgers shooting range in White Hills, Arizona, the edited 22-second clip plays up to the point where the girl loses control of an Uzi, striking 39-year-old Charles Vacca.
The shocking recording taken by the girl's parents and released by police shows Vacca standing closely next to the girl when the gun recoiled as she fired on full automatic mode.
As the clip unfolds, Vacca is seen to instruct the girl to hold the weapon with two hands at all times and to take a perpendicular stance to the target.
Then Vacca asks her to fire one shot for him, which she does.
Then, Vacca tells the girl to adjust her stance and squeeze the trigger to let off a volley, but something goes wrong when she fires a second time.
His last words to the girl are: 'Alright, full auto.'
The girl loses her two-handed grip on the weapon and it pulls to her left, striking Vacca in the head.
Charles Vacca, a father and veteran from Lake Havasu City, Arizona, was airlifted to hospital on Monday morning after the little girl shot him but died that evening.
Mohave County Sheriff Jim McCabe said the full video of the incident was 'ghastly'.
Watch Video Here (Does not show fatal shot)
Instructions: Charles Vacca, a father and veteran from Lake Havasu City,
Arizona, teaches the 9-year-old girl how to handle the Uzi
First shot then pause: The nine-year-old fires one shot as instructed
and then prepares to fire again (right) before the tragedy unfolded
He said that the girl had successfully fired the weapon several times before when it was set on 'single shot' mode.
However, the horrific accident unfolded in a split second when the Israeli made weapon was set to 'full-automatic mode' and caused Vacca his fatal injuries.
'The guy just dropped,' McCabe said of Vacca, who suffered more than one gunshot to the head.
McCabe told the Las Vegas Review Journal that no charges will be filed because Bullets and Burgers is licensed and legal as an operation.
Killed: Charles Vacca, pictured right, was accidentally shot in the head on Monday as he helped a nine-year-old girl handle a
submachine gun at an Arizona shooting range. He passed away on Monday night
'It's so easy for us to go back and look at something that's very tragic and say, 'Boy! Why did that occur? That should not have happened because of,'' said McCabe to Fox News.
'Well, maybe from now on, that 'because of' will be in place.'
A spokeswoman with Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said they were shocked by the shooting.
'This is a rarity for something like this to happen,' the spokeswoman said to the LA Times.
Vacca was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he died of his injuries around 9pm on Monday. An autopsy will now be carried out.
The nine-year-old girl, who has not been identified, was not injured. She was with her parents as they passed through the area on vacation from New Jersey.
The range operator at Bullets and Burgers told KLAS-TV he was shocked by the incident.
Veteran: Vacca, a staff sergeant, is pictured right with his best friend Robert Vera when they served
'We really don't know what happened. Our guys are trained to basically hover over people when they're shooting. If they're shooting right-handed, we have our right-hand behind them ready to push the weapon out of the way. And if they're left-handed, the same thing,' operator Sam Scarmardo said.
Social media was incredulous about the tragic accident, with most people posting comments as to why a nine-year-old was allowed to fire an automatic weapon.
Liz Matthews of the John Clayton Show on 710 ESPN in Seattle said, 'A story involving a nine-year-old shooting an UZI at a place called Burgers and Bullets would have been appalling enough. Horrifying.'
Nikki Bateman simply asked, 'why you'd even let a nine year old handle a gun in the first place?!'
Cameron Atfield directed his anger at the parents stating he 'hoped the parents are charged.'
Friends paid tribute to Vacca, an army veteran and a married father, as a great friend and soldier on Facebook. Best friend Robert Vera said they often laughed so much that they couldn't breathe.
'He became a brother and a major part of my life through thick and thin,' Vera said. 'Rest In Peace brother.'
Loss: Friends paid tribute to Vacca as a great friend, soldier and father who was always smiling
Another friend added: 'A Soldier, a father, a mentor and a friend. SSG Charles Vacca will always be remembered with a smile and admiration.'
The incident occurred at the Arizona Last Stop, which is about 25 miles south of Las Vegas, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office told AZFamily. It is home to a shooting range, Bullets and Burgers.
'Our guests have the opportunity to fire a wide range of fully automatic machine guns and specialty weapons,' its website states. 'At our range, you can shoot FULL auto on our machine guns. Let 'em Rip!'
When contacted by MailOnline, staff at Bullets and Burgers would not comment on the incident and referred questions to a nearby gun emporium, but would not say whether or not they were affiliated.
Arizona gun laws require a person to be at least 18 years old to carry a firearm, but the laws do not apply on private property or if the minor is accompanied by a parent or a certified instructor.
Promotion: Bullets and Burgers proudly advertises their offer of a cheeseburger and the choice of 20 automatic weapons to fire at the Nevada range
Weapon: The girl was using an Uzi (file picture) when the recoil send the gun over her head, shooting Vacca
Scene: The tragedy unfolded at Bullets and Burgers, an activity center 25 miles south of Las Vegas
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment