This is an updated version of a story posted at 4:30 this afternoon.

SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Charles Bizilj and his two young sons had planned their outing to a machine gun expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club for nearly a month.



Photographs were being taken, and then 11-year-old Colin Bizilj shot one of the automatic weapons just before his 8-year-old brother, Christopher, picked up the gun that would end his life, a jury was told on Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court.



The first public testimony by an eyewitness to the accidental shooting came from family friend Gary Hobaica, a registered nurse from Agawam. It set the stage for jurors to understand what happened on Oct. 26, 2008, when Christopher Bizilj accidentally shot himself in the head with a Micro Uzi submachine gun.



Former Pelham police chief Edward B. Fleury, whose company organized the exposition, is on trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter for the child's death.



Hobaica's testimony is also expected to open a path for the prosecution to introduce video of the fatal shooting which was filmed by the boy's father, Dr. Charles Bizilj. Jurors may see the video on Thursday when trial resumes, and the doctor is expected to take the witness stand.



Hobaica, who worked with Charles Bizilj at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, Conn., said he had shown the doctor a promotional flier for the exposition about a month before the event. He testified that he, the elder Bizilj and the boys had been to shooting ranges on prior occasions.



"We had about a month to kick it back and forth and make our plans for the day," Hobaica said.



The prosecution contends Fleury should be held criminally responsible for the boy's death because his actions were illegal in allowing children access to the machine guns. The argument is that Christopher Bazilj was too young to control the powerful weapon; as he was firing it, it recoiled and sent a bullet through his face and into his brain.



The defense has told jurors that the boy's father accepted the risks of his child shooting a machine gun, so the chief should be cleared.

Assumption of Risks Form Signed by Charles Bizilj

When they arrived at the sportsmen's club that morning, Hobaica recalled for the jury how there were throngs of people lined up to purchase ammunition so they could fire an array of weapons.



"Were there other children there?" former District Attorney William M. Bennett, who is prosecuting the case, asked the witness.



"Yes, lots of other children," Hobaica responded. "We decided to wait until the lines died down to start our experience."



Hobaica testified that he took photos while the older brother, Colin Bizilj, shot an automatic weapon which, he said, malfunctioned at one point. Hobaica described a roped-off area where spectators were separated from shooters, who were being aided by "line officers" wearing badges.



Bennett began to quiz Hobaica about the "line officer" at their station, who happened to be a 15-year-old boy.



"Did you think he was an adult or a child?" Bennett asked, prompting a sharp objection by Fleury's lawyer.



"He looked like a nice young man," Hobaica answered.



Hobaica was the only witness to testify on Wednesday as lawyers continued to wrangle over whether the jury will see the doctor's video of his son's shooting.



The prosecution was prepared to play the video for the jury on Wednesday, but it was delayed by a last-minute objection by Fleury's defense lawyer, Rosemary Curran Scapicchio. She objected on grounds that Hobaica was not the proper witness to introduce the video since he didn't do the filming. Judge Peter A. Velis agreed to uphold as the afternoon court session wrapped up.



Charles Bizilj is on the list of witnesses to be called by Bennett. Bennett, who formally left office on Wednesday, is being retained as a special prosecutor for the Fleury case by new District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni. Mastroianni was sworn into office on Wednesday morning.



Hobaica said he was a short distance away from Bizilj and Bizilj's sons, in place to take pictures of them shooting automatic weapons. The doctor's father-in-law was also present, according to Hobaica's testimony.



The judge has ruled the video will be shown to the jurors and will be accessible to the media. His ruling on Monday came over the objections of both the prosecution and defense. The defense voiced concern the video could "go viral" on the Internet and such public access could potentially taint the jury.



Velis has said he will not allow the jury to hear the audio portion of the videotape; it reportedly includes the doctor praying for his son's life and telling the child he loved him.



Fleury is also charged with three counts of furnishing a machine gun to a minor.



In addition to blaming Charles Bizilj, Scapicchio, in her opening statement to the jury, laid blame for the child's death on Carl Guiffre and Domenico Spano, both of Connecticut. The two men, who are licensed to possess machine guns, provided the weapons at the show and ran gun distribution and firing lines.



They also faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, and their trials are due to follow Fleury's.



Staff writer Stephanie Barry contributed to this report.



