Loop 3 times then stop

1

I am going absolutely crazy with the simplicity of this problem!

I have an mc that i want to play 3 times then stop … and it is not working.

I tried a basic timer

var timer:Timer = new Timer(8000, 3);
timer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER, playMovieClip);
timer.start();

function playMovieClip(e:TimerEvent):void
{
mc.Play;
}

and for some reason not only does it continuously loop but it also adds an additional play every time it loops…

can some one please help me loop an mc three times then stop?
I am seriously going crazy.