Three men charged in death of 8-year-old boy at gun fair

Three men, including a small-town police chief, were indicted Thursday on involuntary manslaughter counts in the death of an 8-year-old who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at a gun fair.

The Westfield Sportsman’s Club in western Massachusetts, where the gun expo was held, also was charged.

Dist. Atty. William Bennett said the child, Christopher Bizilj of Ashford, Conn., was supervised by an uncertified 15-year-old boy, even though an ad for the Oct. 26 expo promised that certified instructors would oversee shooters.

Christopher was firing at a pumpkin when he lost control of the 9mm micro-submachine gun because of the recoil.

Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury was charged because he owns COP Firearms & Training, the sponsor of the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo.

Two men who brought the automatic weapon to the show, Carl Guiffre of Hartford, Conn., and Domenico Spano, of New Milford, Conn., also were indicted.

Fleury and the club also were indicted on four counts each of furnishing a machine gun to a minor.