A young boy has been caught on camera shooting dead a family friend in a horrific accident at a Russian shooting range.

The child was playing with a rifle, not knowing it was loaded, when it went off and killed the man as he wandered down the range.

An instructor was supposed to be supervising the 12-year-old at the time, and could now face legal charges for failing to ensure that the gun was handled safely.

Killing: A boy is pictured sitting down and firing a rifle which he did not know was loaded

The tragedy took place at a shooting club in the suburbs of Moscow, according to LiveLeak.

CCTV footage shows the child’s mother and a male friend, who had just been firing a rifle, wander down the range to inspect the target they had been aiming at.

The boy sat down at a table and started handling the gun, overseen by a female instructor.

The instructor pulled out her camera phone and offered to photograph him while he pretended to fire the rifle.

Danger: The 12-year-old’s mother was standing with a friend at the other end of the rifle range in Moscow

The boy, apparently unaware that the gun was loaded, picked it up and pulled the trigger.

A shot rang out, and then the man dropped to the ground, as can be seen in the video.

When police were called to the scene, they determined that the victim had died instantly.

Accident: The man instantly fell down dead after being shot in the head by the boy

The boy is not expected to face any official action, as he was only playing around and could not have known that the gun was in fact loaded.

However, the instructor could face charges for allowing the 12-year-old to play with the rifle, according to LiveLeak.

The incident is believed to have taken place on Sunday.

It was initially reported by Life News, the website of Russian tabloid Tvoi Den.

Read more: Daily Mail