Left: Ashley Hosendove (Miami-Dade Corrections). Right: Ja'nova Raylani (GoFundMe).
A Florida mom is behind bars after her 4-year-old son grabbed a loaded gun and shot his 5-year-old sister to death while their mother slept on the couch.
Ashley Marie Hosendove, 32, is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter and culpable negligence in the death of Ja'nova Raylani in Florida City, which is near Miami.
Cops responded shortly before 2 a.m. on June 10 to a call about a shooting at a home on the 1400 block of NW 1st Court. When they arrived, they found Hosendove carrying her daughter "wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket."
Officers placed Hosendove and the girl into the patrol car and rushed to a hospital. While on the way there, Hosendove said she believed her 4-year-old son shot Ja'nova. Ja'nova suffered a gunshot wound to her right arm and torso.
Ja'nova was later airlifted to a hospital, where she died.
Hosendove allegedly said in an interview with police after receiving her Miranda rights that she arrived home around 10 p.m. with a black fanny pack that contained a Remington 9 mm gun. She apparently put the fanny pack in a bedroom closet and then fell asleep while watching TV with the kids in the house.
Suddenly, she heard a gunshot.
The defendant said she saw her daughter walk out of the bedroom with a gunshot wound.
She told detectives that about a week prior to the shooting, her son saw the gun in her purse and "showed interest, calling the victim to see it," cops wrote. Hosendove decided to move the gun, which apparently always had a loaded round, from her purse to the fanny pack, the affidavit stated.
The defendant also told cops that the mechanical safety on the gun allegedly did not work.
Detectives concluded Hosendove displayed a "conscious indifference of the welfare of her children" by not properly securing the gun. She was arrested and taken to the Miami-Dade Jail, where she's being held without bond. Her next court date is set for Sept. 11.
Family members spoke about the lasting impact Ja'nova had during her short life.
"At just 5 years old, she brought so much love, laughter, and light into the lives of everyone who knew her. Ja'nova was a smart, sassy, and beautiful little girl with a personality that could brighten any room," a GoFundMe description said. "She loved to play, laugh, and spend time with her family. Her smile was contagious, her spirit was unforgettable, and her love touched so many lives in such a short time."