A Massachusetts jury acquitted a gun fair organizer of manslaughter in the 2008 death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi.
The jury reached a verdict during its second day of deliberations in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield Friday.
Jurors found former Pelham, Mass. Police Chief Edward Fleury not guilty of involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the death of Christopher Bizilj of Ashford. The charge carried up to 20 years in prison.
A prosecutor argued Fleury was criminally reckless in running a gun fair at the Westfield Sportsman's Club because he allowed children to shoot machine guns under the supervision of an unlicensed and uncertified teenager.
Bizilj lost control of the Uzi and accidentally shot himself in the head while at the gun fair. Fleury's defense attorney denied he was reckless and pointed out the boy's father signed a waiver.
