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A 9-year-old New Jersey girl fires an Uzi at an Arizona gun range on Aug. 25, 2014. He later died after the girl failed to control the gun's recoil, causing a bullet to strike him in the head.
The family of an Arizona shooting range instructor accidentally killed by a 9-year-old New Jersey girl firing an Uzi two years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the gun range owners, Arizona Central reports.
The lawsuit argues the operators of the Last Stop gun range were "grossly negligent" in entrusting an Uzi to a young girl, the report says.
The 39-year-old instructor, Charles Vacca, was shot and killed in August 2014 by the girl when she lost control of the Uzi at the range. Vacca was shot in the head when the girl dropped the Uzi after the gun "sharply recoiled."
A report from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office following the fatal incident said the "gun was too much for her" to handle.
The New Jersey couple said they were "devastated" in a statement after the incident. The girl was not charged or identified.
In a video statement two weeks later, Vacca's four children told the girl they "wish her peace."
The owner of Last Stop, Sam Scarmardo, told reporters that they instruct "kids as young as 5 in .22 rifles."
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.