The Goat Pen

LAS VEGAS - CBS NEWS - A 39-year-old shooting instructor accidentally shot by one of his 9-year-old students Monday morning has died, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.

He has been identified as Charles Vacca, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, reports CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV.

The sheriff's office released video of the moments before the accident. It does not show the shooting but is, says KLAS, a key piece of evidence.

The incident occurred at the Bullets and Burgers gun range in Dolan Springs, Arizona, which is some 78 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

The 9-year-old girl is seen holding an Uzi with Vacca standing beside her, showing her how to hold the weapon.

"Vacca was standing next to the girl while he was instructing her how to use to weapon when the accident happened. Further investigations determined the girl pulled the trigger on the automatic Uzi, the recoil sent the gun over her head and the victim was shot," a statement from the sheriff's office says.

The girl's parents were with her when the shooting occurred, the statement said.

The range operator told KLAS they'd never had any type of incident at the Dolan Springs location, or at their Lake Havasu range, which has been open for 12 years.

He said safety is always stressed with each and every client.

"We really don't know what happened. Our guys are trained to basically hover over people when they're shooting. If they're shooting right-handed, we have our right-hand behind them ready to push the weapon out of the way. And if they're left-handed, the same thing," operator Sam Scarmardo said.

The staff is grieving, but they're also remembering the man who lost his life. Vacca is described as well-liked, a veteran, and loving husband.

Vacca was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he died Monday evening.

In Nevada and Arizona, it is up to the gun range to allow a particular minor to fire a gun.

Investigators say no laws were broken. But the Bullets and Burgers range has already changed its procedures after this tragic accident: Participants will now have to be at least 5 feet tall or 12 years or older to shoot.

People at the range not only are thinking of their fallen friend, but also about the 9-year-old, KLAS says.

Despite Romney's insistence he won't run again, his former running mate -- Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) -- said he'd love to see the former Massachusetts governor take another shot at the White House.

The Community of Riverside Has Spoken!

After seven days of testimony, spread over two and a half weeks, the all women jury in my wrongful death trial has spoken. Girl Power! Unfortunately for the family of 68 year old Dennis Katz, the jury ruled against us.

After deliberating for less than two hours, the 12 women voted unanimously in favor of the defendant sheriff deputy and the County. As has been my stubborn practice over the last 35 years, I never speak to the jury when I lose. Leo Durocher, a famous baseball coach, once said, "A good loser is a loser." I am not a good loser. (My law partner Jamon Hicks or my associate Aja Man usually play that role when we're in trial, but they were in L.A. handling their business.) Plus, as I always say, whenever I lose, I am the most surprised person in the courtroom!


I thanked the ladies for their service as they huddled together in the hallway afterwards speaking to the defense lawyers. Juror number 12 told me to tell my clients how sorry she was, as I walked past her while she was smoking a cigarette outside. I thank her for her kinds words and told her that we were much more sorry than she.

As I walked to my car for the long drive home, I was comforted by the knowledge that we had represented our clients well. They were pleased that we had told the story of Dennis Katz' final minutes on earth with dignity and respect.

I was also struck by the fact that for perhaps the first time in my memory, I felt that the verdict against me in favor of the police had little to do with race. Mr. Katz and the defendant deputy were white. One of the jurors who voted against us could have been my mother, an elegant black woman who was a registered nurse with a college degree. So, I was confident that she at least would give us a fair evaluation of the facts. She did, and spoke as did the others

In the shadow of Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, and Ezell Ford, the community of jurors in Riverside spoke clearly and in one voice. "Do what the police say, or suffer the consequences." That exact sentiment was voiced by several prospective jurors during jury selection. Although the trial judge was rather conservative, she excused five of the prospective jurors in the box for cause; an extraordinary number by an measure.

You know, I'm a sports fanatic. So as my son and I were making the 80 minute drive home, I talked about how a trial lawyer has to be like a corner back in football, or a three point shooter in basketball, or a closer in baseball. You've got to have a short memory. You can't dwell on that trial you lost, just like they can't dwell on that TD they gave up, or the buzzer beater they missed, or that homer which loses the game.

You just have to lick your wounds, pick yourself up, analyze what just happened, and move on......Next!

La luta continua.....

Carl

If your point is that OJ is an awful human being, you'll get no argument from me. I just don't think he killed Nicole & Ron.

Yes, I, a black man, believe that Simpson killed his ex-wife and Goldman. That was the other injustice meted out on that fateful day: the perverted notion that most black Americans believed Simpson was innocent.

As if those who make up the black community are unable to think and reason as individuals.

Obviously they exist, but frankly I don’t know any black people who ever thought O.J. was innocent.

In the meantime, they should dispense once and for all with the insulting, self-serving fantasy that all black Americans believe Simpson is innocent of the heinous crime of double murder.

A guilty man getting away with murder is not equality. But sadly, for just a little while in October of 1995, it somehow felt like it.

First Wife wrote:If the Ferguson police are forced to hire more minorities and women for the sake of diversity, the one thing we can be sure of is that more black people will be murdered, raped and assaulted.

Someone's got to say it, so it might as well be me: I'm against more black people being murdered, raped and assaulted.

In a massive, detailed 2000 study of the effect of court-ordered affirmative action plans on police departments, economist John Lott found that the more minorities on a police force, the higher the rates of murder, manslaughter, violent crime, robbery and aggravated assault will be. Violent crime increased by a minimum of 3.3 percent every year after affirmative action policies went into effect -- and the spike in crime was highest in black neighborhoods.

The problem was not with black cops, Lott's study showed, but rather with the lowering of standards across the board, resulting in less-qualified officers of every race.

Professor Tiger wrote:JD, help me out here; earlier you said:

If your point is that OJ is an awful human being, you'll get no argument from me. I just don't think he killed Nicole & Ron.

But here you quote, seemingly approvingly, a black guy who says OJ DID do it, and if white people think otherwise, that is insulting:

Yes, I, a black man, believe that Simpson killed his ex-wife and Goldman. That was the other injustice meted out on that fateful day: the perverted notion that most black Americans believed Simpson was innocent.

As if those who make up the black community are unable to think and reason as individuals.

Obviously they exist, but frankly I don’t know any black people who ever thought O.J. was innocent.

In the meantime, they should dispense once and for all with the insulting, self-serving fantasy that all black Americans believe Simpson is innocent of the heinous crime of double murder.

A guilty man getting away with murder is not equality. But sadly, for just a little while in October of 1995, it somehow felt like it.

Which is true?

innocentbystander wrote:

In a massive, detailed 2000 study of the effect of court-ordered affirmative action plans on police departments, economist John Lott found that the more minorities on a police force, the higher the rates of murder, manslaughter, violent crime, robbery and aggravated assault will be. Violent crime increased by a minimum of 3.3 percent every year after affirmative action policies went into effect -- and the spike in crime was highest in black neighborhoods.

The problem was not with black cops, Lott's study showed, but rather with the lowering of standards across the board, resulting in less-qualified officers of every race.

Well jeez, didn't I say something to this effect about cops being "qualified" about a week ago? I am certain my first wife reads the goat pen.

Professor Tiger wrote:IB, do you think women should be allowed to be police officers?

Or is your heroine, Ann Coulter, the only women who can discern cause and effect?

billy bob bocephus wrote:somebody referred to the PAH as HRC - I spent several minutes trying to figure that out - please keep us aging impaired posters in mind and use appropriate abbreviations

mucho gracias

Toemeesleather wrote:STFU