Police Chief, Gun Club Indicted After Boy's Death From Uzi
A veteran police chief of the Massachusetts town where an 8-year-old boy fatally shot himself while holding a machine gun at a weapons expo was indicted today along with three others on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Pelham Police Chief Edward B. Fleury owns COP Firearms & Training, which was a cosponsor of the Oct. 26 Machine Gun Shoot on Oct. 26 at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club, where Christopher Bizilj died while firing a 9mm Micro Uzi that recoiled, the Boston Globe reports.
Grand jurors also indicted the club and two Connecticut men who were reportedly responsible for handing the gun to the boy.
No charges were sought against the boy’s father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, who was standing 10 feet away with a camera at the time of the incident.
Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett is quoted saying that Dr. Bizilj “will be punished every day of the rest of his life.”
In addition to manslaughter, Fleury and the club also face charges for allegedly furnishing a machine gun to a minor. Authorities say at least three other children fired automatic weapons at the event.
The Globe reports that Fleury is well known in Pelham for being a gun safety advocate, regularly visiting schools to teach the National Rifle Association’s “Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program” to children.
