Boy Scouts deny liability in suit involving 11-year-old fatally shot at Hawaii Island camp

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Lawyers for the Boy Scouts of America have filed their response to a wrongful death lawsuit involving an 11-year-old Hawaii Island boy.

Last August, 11-year-old Manuel “Manny” Carvalho died when an AK-47 accidentally went off at Camp Honokaia.

His family has accused the Boy Scouts of failing to follow and enforce several required rules at the camp.

In new court filings, lawyers for the Scouts say they’re not liable and the acts done were beyond their control.

A hearing is scheduled for next Friday.

The Carvalho family claims the Boy Scouts and Aloha Council, which own and operate Camp Honokaia, created hazardous conditions and for years flouted standard operating procedures for firing ranges and shooting sports.

The suit, for example, says the camp ignored a ban on human-shaped and zombie targets and didn’t limit firearms to “22-caliber breech-loading, single-shot or a repeater type bolt-action rifles with a boxstyle magazine.”

Court docs: AK-47 used in accidental shooting death of child at Hawaii Boy Scouts camp

The lawsuit goes on to say there was no safety planning for the Hilo Boy Scout Troop 19 family event on Aug. 28, when Scout family members were invited to bring rifles, shotguns and pistols for a Troop Shoot.

According to the lawsuit, one of the Scout parents brought about a dozen firearms, including an AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle, an AR-15, an M-4 carbine, four shotguns, and four Glock pistols.