South Florida mother faces charges after shooting death of 5-year-old daughter in Florida City home

A South Florida mother faced a judge on Thursday, weeks after her 5-year-old daughter was shot at a Miami-Dade home and then later died at a hospital.

Records show that Ashley Marie Hosendove has been charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of 5-year-old Ja'nova Parks in June.

Investigators said that Parks was shot in the torso inside a Florida City home and was rushed to a hospital where she died.

CBS News Miami spoke with Parks' heartbroken grandmother about the development, and she said she still has questions about what took place.

According to the arrest report, Hosendove allegedly told investigators that her 4-year-old son found a gun in a fanny pack in her closet and shot her daughter.

"I miss her so much," Laticha Ellison said. "I wish I could have saved my granddaughter. It hurts so bad. It hurts so bad."

Ellison said she may never get over the loss of her granddaughter, who was killed on June 10.

"Not knowing what happened, truthfully, and hearing bits and pieces, is devastating," she said. "This took a part of me away."

Hosendove, 32, is charged with aggravated manslaughter involving a child younger than 16, and culpable negligence.

"The defendant stated that she fell asleep on the couch, watching television with the two minor children," the arrest report reads. "The defendant then woke up to a loud bang. The victim stated to the defendant that her 4-year-old brother shot her."

The victim's grandmother said she doesn't believe that.

"I just don't believe he did it," Ellison said. "I have multiple reasons why, and one reason is because I know me and my daughter always teaches them that guns is not safe. Your home is supposed to be the safest space for kids. No matter how you need to protect yourself, it should not be in reach of children."

Hosendove appeared in court before Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer, who called the situation "very tragic." Glazer noted the gun was not properly secured even though it was in a fanny pack. She found probable cause for the charge of culpable negligence and ordered that Hosendove have no contact with her 4-year-old son.

"If dependency court allows you to have contact with that child, it will not be a violation of the court's order," Glazer said.

Chad Piotrowski, the attorney for Hosendove, released a statement on Thursday afternoon and called the incident an "unimaginable tragedy."

"This is an unimaginable tragedy for this mother and her entire family. She lost her child in a terrible accident," the statement read. "Right now, our immediate priority is getting her home with her family. We've reached an agreement on the terms of her release, and we'll present that stipulation to the court tomorrow morning. We expect her to be home by Tuesday. The State still has the burden of proving every element of these offenses, and we believe there are significant legal issues with this prosecution. We'll address those issues in court while doing everything we can to bring this case to the right resolution as quickly as possible."

Piotrowski also argued in court that because the firearm was in a zipped fanny pack, it was "securely encased." He contended that under the law, the circumstances do not rise to the question of culpable negligence or manslaughter.

Piotrowski added that Hosendove "has been cooperative with DCS and the children are at another home with her mother."