Uzi Instructor's Family: We Feel 'Sorry' for the Girl

The family of a gun instructor shot dead by a 9-year-old girl this week feels "sorry" for her and hopes she can learn to move on, the AP reports. "That's truly how we feel," said Anamarie Vacca, ex-wife of instructor Charles Vacca. "I know we're going to let her know to not revolve her life around it." Charles' daughter Ashley, 19, also reached out to the unidentified girl who mistakenly killed her dad while learning to fire an Uzi, NBC News reports. "We really do want the prayers to be going out to the family of the little girl," Ashley said on the Today show from California, where she lives. "Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. We don’t want their life to revolve around this."

Also on the show, Anamarie said her ex-husband's death came as "a shock to the entire family." She described him as "a good person" and "a good dad" who loved his children and valued family. He was "a fun person to be around," added Charles' 14-year-old son, Tyler. "We used to wrestle with him all the time." The Vacca family's support comes in stark contrast the "storm of criticism and anger" unleashed by the story, mostly directed at the girl's parents, the AP notes. Groups opposed to gun violence say children shouldn't be allowed to use such heavy-duty weapons. (The range owner said it was the first-ever accident at his business.)