THE curse of the family who scooped a $10 million Oz Lotto jackpot has led to another death, with the accidental shooting of their grandson by their son.

A shaking David Taylor, who won the money with his ex-wife Colleen, said yesterday the death of their league-mad grandson, Josh Astill, 15, had devastated the family.

"Torn apart, this has torn us apart," said Mr Taylor, 57.

"We used to be a close family but there's no money left and no family left. The win destroyed us."

Their son William, 15, had found the 9mm Glock pistol hidden in their house in West Haven in NSW on Wednesday and told his nephew, Joshua. Joshua's father is William's half-brother.

"William pulled the gun out of the hiding spot and he told me that Joshua said 'Oh, cool, give me a look'. And when he handed it to him the bullet must have been in the breach and the safety was off," Mr Taylor said.

"They don't know anything about guns. As William handed it to Joshua, it accidentally went off."

He said Joshua was shot through the eye. William was questioned by police but has not been charged.

His mother and her partner, a 60-year-old man, have been charged with possession of a pistol and not ensuring the safe keeping of a pistol. Both were released and are due to appear at Port Macquarie Local Court on October 20.

Mr Taylor said William wanted to apologise to Joshua's family but they did not want to talk to his side of the family.

Joshua's mother yesterday told how her son spent the last night of his life watching his favourite TV show Wipeout with his family.

"When it was over, he gave me a kiss on the cheek, went to walk out the door but turned around and said 'goodnight mum and dad'," Lee Astill said, weeping.

Speaking for the first time since his death, Mrs Astill and her husband Ray could not put into words how they felt.

"Shattered is not the word for how we feel there is no word for how we feel," she said.

"Kids are always supposed to be with you. I don't know how much more this family can take."

Mrs Astill said her son was the class clown and loved joking.

"He'd pull silly faces, he just stood out in a crowd," she said.

It is the second shooting tragedy to hit the family, who gave away $3 million to family and friends and lost the rest in bad investments