Family sues in accidental killing of gun instructor by 9-year-old girl with Uzi



PHOENIX (AP) — The family of an Arizona shooting range instructor who was accidentally killed by a 9-year-old girl with an Uzi has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the business.


The suit seeks a jury trial to determine damages for Charles Vacca's widow and three children as well as his ex-wife and mother.

It says the owners and operators of the Last Stop shooting range in White Hills were negligent in Vacca's 2014 death. The range didn't respond to a phone message Tuesday.

The suit says an Uzi wasn't a safe or appropriate weapon to entrust to a young girl and caused her to lose control of the weapon.

Investigators say when the girl fired the Uzi, the gun's recoil wrenched its barrel upward. A bullet hit 39-year-old Vacca in the head, killing him.