A 5-year-old Jacksonville girl was accidentally shot to death, and her 4-year-old brother wounded by their 8-year brother Saturday afternoon while they were home alone at an inner city apartment complex, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

Their mother had left the three siblings by themselves for an as yet undetermined amount of time when the shooting happened about 1 p.m. in their home at Roosevelt Gardens apartment complex, 702 N. Lincoln Court, Sheriff’s Office Chief Chris Butler said.

Butler said somehow the eldest boy got a gun from somewhere and fired a single shot. The bullet hit his sister, killing her , and striking his younger brother who sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Butler said.

Butler said the 4-year-old is being treated at the hospital, and is expected to make a full recovery.

“We have no reason to believe this [shooting] was an intentional act. …We believe, in the absence of any other information being developed, that unfortunately this is a tragic unfortunate accidental shooting,” Butler said.

Butler declined to release the names of the children or their mother. However, First Coast News on Sunday identified the girl as Serenity Allen.

Detectives were interviewing mother and son as well as others Saturday night at Sheriff’s Office headquarters, Butler said.

A therapist also was there to render to the boy’s needs, Butler said.

Butler said the Sheriff’s Office is consulting with other agencies including the office of State Attorney Melissa Nelson and Florida Department of Children and Families Child Protection Team in the ongoing investigation.

Police responding to a 911 call found the two children shot inside the apartment. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel administered emergency life-saving procedures but were unable to save the girl, Butler said.

Butler declined to say what type of gun was used. The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, he said.

No charges had been filed Saturday night. Although in the past people have been charged with leaving a gun accessible to children, Butler said, it is too early in the investigation to say whether that that might happen in this case.

“I know that she went to a store,” Butler said when asked if detectives had determined where the mother was when the shooting occurred.

“As far as the undetermined amount of time, you’re talking about an 8-year-old and trying to speak to an 8-year-old and then you have a … 4-year-old. So a lot of this information as far as knowing how long she was gone, with the active interviews, I just don’t have an answer,” Butler said.

Detectives and crime scene technicians expected to work through the night on the investigation, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Chuck Ford of the Homicide Unit, said earlier at the scene.

Butler said in this case, he couldn’t say where the gun was or how the child got access to it.

“I don’t know if steps were already taken to safeguard that from happening. But you know, responsible gun owners, you know should secure their weapons, lock them up, making sure children don’t have any access to them or for that matter, anyone else in the home,” Butler said.

The scene outside the apartment complex was chaotic after the shooting.

The victims’ family members and friends huddled together in groups outside the police crime scene tape as news of the double shooting spread through the neighbor hood.

One woman collapsed to the ground in sobs. Another screamed in anguish that her grandchild had been hurt. One woman screamed, “where did the gun come from?”

Others hugged each other or held hands and prayed. Police officers tried to comfort those grieving.

When shouting match erupted between several people at one point, several people restrained them before it escalated into a fight. Officers also moved toward them to prevent a physical confrontation, and spoke to them, urging them to calm down.

Butler said the shooting has hit police hard as well.

“You could just tell from their expressions, their eyes and everything. It’s not very pleasant to go through this investigation at all. It’s tragic,” Butler said.

Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075