The uncle of a 12-year-old Edgecombe County boy, killed during a hunting trip in late December, was charged for the child's death.

Jason Matthews Parker, 30, of Franklinton, north of Raleigh, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and obtaining a hunting license under a false pretense, investigators said.

According to family members, Parker was reloading his gun to shoot a deer, at the Falls Lake Recreation area on Dec. 28, when his gun misfired, hitting and killing his nephew, 12-year-old James Parker, of Tarboro.

The boy's father and cousin were with him when he was shot. His funeral was on Dec. 31.

According to North Carolina wildlife officials, the suspect did not have a proper hunting license and had not taken a hunting education course, required by the state.