Child, 5, fatally shot in Florida City: ‘Too small to leave this world like that'

Authorities are investigating a shooting at a Florida City home early Wednesday that claimed the life of a 5-year-old girl.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, officers with the Florida City Police arrived at the home in the 1400 block of Northwest 1st Court after receiving reports of a shooting shortly before 2 a.m.

At the scene, a 5-year-old was found shot in the torso.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was heading to the complex, but officers took the child and her mother to Homestead Baptist Hospital, and she was later airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.

Video showed the child being airlifted to the hospital as first responders performed chest compressions.

The child then died at the hospital. The girl’s grandmother, Laticha Ellason, identified her as Ja’nova Parks.

“It makes me angry because nothing like this should be able to happen, especially in your home. Nothing like this should be able to happen. Carelessness, carelessness,” Ellason said. “My grandkids know that a gun is dangerous. Never in a million years I would believe that she would pick up a gun, nor her brother. I would never think that she would pick up a gun.”

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Det. Angel Rodriguez said there were three adults and two children in the home at the time of the shooting, including the girl’s 4-year-old brother.

The child’s mother, Ashley Hosendove, was arrested Wednesday on an unrelated charge of disorderly conduct in connection with an incident that happened in March, officials said.

“My granddaughter was smart. She was sassy,” Ellason said.

Authorities are not sure if the child shot herself or was shot by someone else, Rodriguez said, adding that detectives don’t believe there’s a threat to the community.

“We are trying to determine what happened, unfortunately, the community has questions and so do we,” Rodriguez said. “Right now we’re just asking for prayers for the community, we’re asking for the community to please keep in mind that there is a family who has lost their child.”

Homicide detectives are investigating the incident.

“That’s just too small to leave this world like that, too early,” one emotional neighbor, Betty Hammond, told NBC6 with her hand over her mouth. “But like I say, this area gets very rough… That is pitiful, very pitiful.”