Boy's Uzi Death: Jurors Shielded from Audio in Mass. Manslaughter Case Involving 8 Yr. Old

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (CBS/AP) The judge in the manslaughter trial of a former Massachusetts police chief will not let jurors hear audio from the most graphic part of a videotape, which shows an 8-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself to death with an Uzi submachine gun.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter Velis' ruled Friday, amid jury selection in the case of former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored a 2008 gun fair where the boy, Christopher Bizilj, shot himself in the head.

Velis earlier ruled that jurors will see the video, but said that they will not hear the audio portion at the time of the shooting and afterward because it would be too prejudicial against Fleury. Velis had said previously that the video and sound are horrific and "would shock the conscience of any reasonable human being."

The video was taken by Christopher's father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, and shows the boy losing control of the 9 mm micro Uzi, shooting himself, and Dr. Bizilj dropping the camera amid screams and praying aloud that Christopher is all right, officials say.

Fleury faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He faces a maximum of 10 years on the weapons counts.

The boy's father was not charged because he was a layman and based his decision to allow his sons to fire the gun on information from others who should have known it was too dangerous, prosecutors have said.

Two men who supplied the guns, Carl Giuffre and Domenico Spano, have pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and are awaiting trial.

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Dec. 7, 2010 - Uzi Death Video: Boy's Fatal Shooting to be Viewed by Jury, Mass. Judge Rules