The death of a shooting instructor at an Arizona gun range when a 9-year-old girl lost control of a powerful automatic weapon has raised the issue of age limits at such operations.

The girl, on vacation with her parents at the Last Stop shooting range in White Hills, Ariz., accidentally shot and killed the instructor, 39-year-old Charles Vacca, while firing an Uzi submachine gun Monday, officials said. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the gun's recoil sent the weapon over the girl's head, its bullets striking Mr. Vacca, who stood next to her.

Mr. Vacca, who was shot in the head, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he died from his injuries Monday evening, the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Video of the incident released by the sheriff's office shows Mr. Vacca adjusting the girl's stance and then saying, "All right, now go ahead and give me one shot," apparently before the gun was set on fully automatic. With her back to the camera, the girl successfully fires a single round at a target.

"All right, full auto," Mr. Vacca then says before the girl releases a series of shots, apparently losing control of the gun before the video ends.