OCALA, Fla. — A 9-year-old boy in Ocala is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge after his 5-year-old sister was stabbed Monday afternoon.

According to the Ocala Police Department in an arrest affidavit, when officers got to the scene at the Berkeley Pointe Apartments complex, they found the 5-year-old girl with multiple stab wounds.

She was airlifted to UF Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Authorities said she was able to communicate before being airlifted, but they didn't release her condition.

Police found her brother hiding from investigators in a nearby shed. After interviewing him, police determined they had enough to charge him.

According to the affidavit, "(he) stated he wanted to kill her and the thought had entered his head two days earlier. He stated that he tried to get it out of his head but could not."

The affidavit continued: "It should be noted that (the boy) stated when he was stabbing his sister, he said 'Die, Die' and his mother had arrived and took the knife way from him."

The children's mother had left them alone in the boy's bedroom for 10 minutes while she checked mail and got candy for the two from a neighbor, the affidavit said.

Spectrum News 13 is not identifying the boy because he is a minor. He made an initial appearance before a judge Tuesday morning.

A neighbor, Paulette McLaren, said Tuesday that her grandchildren used to play with the boy charged with attempted murder.

"Not one single day goes by that the cops are not here for whatever reason," McLaren said.

"I know the mother, and I know that the kids are just normally nice and polite. The son is actually normal, you know, very, 'Yes mam, no ma'am' to me," she said.

McLaren called for leniency on the boy, who's in juvenile detention.

"They're keeping him and doing an evaluation, which is something that needs to be done. I don't think a 9-year old needs to be locked up, no."