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SAN DIEGO (AP) — The accidental killing of an Arizona firing range instructor by a 9-year-old girl learning to shoot an Uzi unleashed a storm of criticism and anger, with much of it aimed at her parents.
But the ex-wife and children of instructor Charles Vacca say they harbor no ill feelings toward the girl and her family. Instead, they feel sorry for the child and want to write her a letter to comfort her.
Vacca's ex-wife, Anamarie, told The Associated Press by phone Friday she has not spoken to the girl or her parents since the accident Monday, but her children want to write the letter.
Charles Vacca was standing next to the girl when she squeezed the trigger at the Last Stop range in White Hills, Arizona, about 60 miles south of Las Vegas.
The recoil wrenched the Uzi upward, and the 39-year-old Vacca was shot once in the head and died.
The identities of the girl and her family have not been released.
Prosecutors say they do not plan to file charges.
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