Charles Vacca was showing the unnamed youngster how to fire the weapon at the Last Stop outdoor shooting range in the Mohave Desert in White Hills, Arizona, when the gun recoiled as she pulled the trigger.
In a statement, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said the 39-year-old was hit in the head by a stray bullet as the Israeli-made Uzi kicked back. He was airlifted to the University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, where he was later pronounced dead.
Vacca was described by his best friend Robert Vera as a "great guy, with a great sense of humour, very conscientious and very professional."
"I just ask everybody to pray for Charlie, and pray for the client. She’s going to have a hard time," he added.
It is illegal for children under the age of 18 to carry a gun in Arizona, but the rule does not apply on private property or if the youngster is accompanied by a parent or certified instructor.
Meanwhile, the shooting is likely to lead to further calls for gun control in the US, an increasingly polarising topic across the country.
Ronald Scott, a Phoenix-based firearms safety expert, told AP: "You can't give a nine-year-old an Uzi and expect her to control it."
Culled: The Telegraph
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