Pelham Police Chief Edward B. Fleury was charged on Thursday with involuntary manslaughter, which carries a penalty of up to twenty years in prison - authorities say he promoted, organized, and profited from a firearms exposition, where children were encouraged to shoot machine guns and where an 8-year-old killed himself with a Micro Uzi.

Police said the boy, Christopher Bizilj, lost control of the weapon on October 26 at the Machine Gun Shoot & Firearms Expo in Westfield, about 100 miles west of Boston. His father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, stood 10-feet behind his son while the boy aimed at a pumpkin with the notoriously difficult-to-handle Uzi. When Christopher squeezed the trigger, the gun jerked out of control and fired a bullet into the right side of his head.

Hampden County District Attorney, William Bennett, said of the Uzi: "It is not a hunting weapon. It has a rate of fire of 1,700 rounds per minute." Bennet said Christopher's father had taken him to the gun show and chosen the Micro Uzi for him to fire. However, Bennet added that he would not be charged, as "He is already being punished and will continue to be punished for the rest of his life," in mourning Christopher's death.

The incident horrified the region and provoked outcry from parents, lawmakers, and some gun enthusiasts who condemned it as a senseless tragedy.

Under Massachusetts law, children can fire a weapon if they are supervised by a licensed instructor and have consent from a parent or legal guardian. However, Bennet said the law bars the furnishing of machine guns to minors regardless of whether parents consent.