Florida Mother Charged After 5-Year-Old Daughter Is Fatally Shot, 4-Year-Old Brother Allegedly Had Gun.

FLORIDA CITY, Fla. — A Florida mother appeared before a judge Thursday after being arrested in connection with the death of her 5-year-old daughter, who was fatally shot inside their Florida City home earlier this summer.

Ashley Marie Hosendove, 32, is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and culpable negligence involving a firearm accessible to a minor in connection with the death of her daughter, Ja’nova Parks.

According to investigators, the tragedy happened on June 10 at a home along Northwest First Court near 14th Street. Florida City police officers responded to reports of a shooting shortly before 2 a.m. and found Ja’nova suffering from a gunshot wound to her torso.

Officers rushed the child and her mother to Baptist Health Homestead Hospital. Ja’nova was later airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

The investigation initially left detectives trying to determine exactly how the young girl was shot. Authorities have now alleged that Ja’nova was accidentally shot by her 4-year-old brother after the children gained access to a firearm inside the home.

According to the arrest report, Hosendove told investigators that her 4-year-old son found the firearm inside a fanny pack in her closet and fired the weapon, striking his sister.

Investigators also allege that Hosendove knew the gun’s safety mechanism was not working. Authorities said she had been aware of the issue since the previous year. The arrest report also states that Hosendove knew her young son had an interest in the firearm after he reportedly discovered it in her purse the week before the shooting.

Three adults and two children were reportedly inside the residence when the shooting occurred.

Ja’nova’s death has left her family devastated. Her grandmother, Laticha Ellison, spoke publicly about the little girl and described her as intelligent, sassy and exceptionally mature for her age.

“I miss her so much,” Ellison said while speaking with reporters. She also said the family continues to struggle with questions surrounding the circumstances that led to Ja’nova’s death.

The case has also drawn renewed attention to the dangers of unsecured firearms around young children. Investigators allege that the weapon was accessible to a minor inside the home, which is now central to the culpable-negligence charge against Hosendove.

Hosendove was booked into jail Wednesday, August 12, and appeared before a judge Thursday, August 13. Her current charges stem from the investigation into her daughter’s death, unlike an earlier arrest in June that involved an unrelated disorderly-conduct warrant.

The case remains pending, and the allegations against Hosendove have not been proven in court. The investigation and court proceedings are expected to determine the full circumstances surrounding Ja’nova Parks’ death.

For the family, however, the legal process comes after a loss they say they will never be able to undo.

Ja’nova was only 5 years old.