PICTURED: Adorable five-year-old boy shot dead by sibling in tragic accident as grandfather is charged

A North Carolina great-grandfather has been charged after his five-year-old grandson was shot dead by his sibling in his home.

Karter River Rosenboro, of Greenville, was shot in the head by his unidentified sibling, six, inside the home he shared with his great-grandparents on Tuesday evening, the Pitt County Sheriff's Office said.

He was taken to the ECU Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to AZ Family .

Rosenboro's 72-year-old great-grandfather, Rayfield Ruffin, who owns the home where the shooting occurred, was charged with not properly storing a firearm to protect children on Friday, according to the outlet.

Ruffin was released on a $2,000 unsecured bond.

The family started a GoFundMe to raise money for Rosenboro's memorial and remembered the small child as having a 'bright smile' and who was 'loved by so many.'

'The family is going through unimaginable pain and heartbreak,' Duchess Ruffin Chance, who started the fundraiser, said.

The GoFundMe has since raised more than $7,000 toward its $10,000 goal.

Rosenboro's mother, Niasia Knight, took to Facebook to remember her late son with a series of photos of him and his siblings.

'I'm hurt, broken, angry, and confused,' she wrote. 'I love you so much, you crushed me, baby mommy can't take [this s**t].'

His grandmother, Meke Jones, wrote on Facebook : 'Never could I have imagined losing a grandchild, but losing two is literally about to take my out...unbearable, unspeakable pain.'

Rosenboro's sister, A'Raeya Sunshine Boyd, who shared the same mother, previously died in March 2023.

'My precious, precious daughter Niasia Knight. You have the strength of a billion giants. The things you've endured in your life is so unfair. You never show weakness in any way,' the grandmother wrote in a separate post on Facebook.

'You are the best mom.'

Rosenboro lived with his mother, twin sister Khloe Reign Rosenboro, an older brother, and his maternal great-grandparents, including Ruffin, according to his obituary .

'Karter loved his siblings,' the obituary read. 'Even though he was the oldest twin, Khloe was always his protector.'

Rosenboro had three other sisters and one more brother, in addition to Khloe and his older brother.

The five-year-old boy had recently started kindergarten with his sister at Northwest Elementary School.

'Karter had a bright beautiful smile, and he had just started to bloom and show his personality. He was funny and he enjoyed making people laugh,' the obituary read.

The family remembers Rosenboro for his love of cars, his gold chain, his hat, and his sunglasses, calling him a 'cool dude.'

The elementary student's favorite colors were blue, red and green, and his favorite food was macaroni and cheese.

'In fact, he wrote his name "KARTER" in blue across the living room wall in his grandparents' home where it is still there until this day,' the obituary read.

Rosenboro was learning Spanish in school and loved to use the word 'sientate,' which means to sit down - 'something he never did.'

The little boy had also recently lost his first tooth and was given $10 from the tooth fairy, where 'he spent it all on candy.'

A celebration of life for Rosenboro will be hold on October 19 at the True Deliverance Church of Christ in Kinston, North Carolina.