Oct 28, 2008 7:21 pm US/Eastern
Criminal Charges Possible In Accidental Uzi Death
Rodrique Ngowi, AP Writer
SPRINGFIELD (AP) ―
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Christopher Bizilj was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where he died.
WBZ
Authorities are investigating whether criminal charges should be filed in the death of an 8-year-old boy who
fatally shot himself with an Uzi at a gun show.
Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett says he hasn't been able to find any law that would authorize a young child to possess or fire a machine gun.
Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., was trying out a fully loaded micro Uzi submachine gun at the Westfield Sportsman's Club when he lost control, shooting himself in the head.
Bennett says he's looking into whether anyone committed a reckless or wanton act when they allowed the boy to fire the weapon.
Christopher was attending the show with his father and brother.
"At this point in the investigation I have found no lawful authority which allows an 8-year-old to possess or fire a machine gun," Bennett said in a statement.
Daniel Vice, senior attorney with the Washington-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said his interpretation is that Massachusetts law specifically prohibits "furnishing a machine gun to any person under 18."
"It is unconscionable that the gun fair allowed and encouraged young children to fire machine guns," he said in a statement.
On Monday, Westfield Police Lt. Hipolito Nunez said it is legal in Massachusetts for children to fire a weapon if they have permission from a parent or legal guardian and they are supervised by a properly certified and licensed instructor.
The section of the statute that mentions that exception, however, only lists rifles, shotguns and ammunition -- and is silent on the use of machine guns.
Bennett did not return calls seeking additional comment.
The boy was attending the gun fair with his father and brother Colin, a sixth-grader. His father, Charles Bizilj, said Christopher had experience firing handguns and rifles, but Sunday was the first time he fired an automatic weapon. A certified instructor was with the boy at the time.
On Monday, Bizilj told The Boston Globe he was about 10 feet behind his son and was reaching for his camera when the weapon fired. He said his family avoided trying larger weapons, but let his son try the Uzi because it's a small weapon with little recoil. The family did not immediately return messages for comment on Tuesday.
Francis Mitchell, a trustee and longtime member and shooting range officer for the sportsman's club, declined comment Tuesday, saying he was unaware that a criminal investigation was under way.
Officials at C.O.P. Firearms & Training, which co-sponsored the event, did not immediately return a message left after business hours.
State and local police criminal investigators -- assisted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- have already interviewed witnesses and are securing records and licenses relating to the incident. They also have obtained a video recording which may be relevant to the shooting, Bennett said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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