Home alone eight-year-old fatally shoots his little sister, 5, and injures his brother, 4,

  •  Serenity Allen, 5, died from a gunshot wound at the family apartment Saturday
  •  Police say her older brother, 8, fired a single shot which killed his sister and injured his little brother, 4
  • The youngest sibling is being treated in hospital but is expected to recover
  • Children's mother had gone to the store but it's not clear how long the kids were left unattended or how they got hold of the gun
  • An investigation is underway to see if any charges will be filed for leaving a gun accessible to the children
  •  It is not yet clear where the children's father was at the time of the shooting

By Hannah Parry For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:08 EST, 5 February 2017 | Updated: 16:32 EST, 5 February 2017

An eight-year-old boy left home alone with his younger siblings accidentally shot his sister, 5, dead and injured his four-year-old brother.

Serenity Allen, died at the scene from the gunshot wound shortly after 1pm on Saturday in their inner city family apartment in Jacksonville, Florida, according to Jacksonville.com.  

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Chris Butler said the elder boy fired a single shot from the gun, which killed his younger sister and gave his brother a non-life-threatening wound. 

Serenity Allen, died at the scene from the gunshot wound shortly after 1pm on Saturday in their inner city family apartment in Jacksonville, Florida

'We believe, in the absence of any other information being developed, that unfortunately this is a tragic unfortunate accidental shooting,' Butler said. 

The children's mother had left for an unspecified amount of time to go to a store, Butler said.

Police did not release the names of the family involved.

The four-year-old is being treated at the hospital where he is expected to make a full recovery. A therapist was brought in to help the boy who fired the shot, Butler said. 

The Florida Department of Children and Families and the state attorney's office were also being consulted.

It was unclear to investigators how the child got access to the gun, or whether it had been properly stored and secured.

Emergency crews were at the scene on Saturday after the tragic shooting of Serenity

Butler said the incident is under investigation to see if any charges will be filed for leaving a gun accessible to the children.

Outside the apartment block, devastated family and friends gathered to mourn.

One woman collapsed to the ground crying, while others screamed in pain and anguish.

Butler said the tragedy was hard to witness. 

'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,' he said.

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