A Starke, Florida woman is being held without bond in Bradford County after allegedly shooting and killing the father of her two children during a custody exchange outside a daycare.

Mindy Osteen, 34, faces charges of first-degree murder, child cruelty, illegal weapon possession, and larceny after authorities say she opened fire on 37-year-old Christopher Travis Jones as he was picking up their sons from Auntie Lili’s Daycare on Friday evening.

According to the arrest report, Osteen approached Jones in the parking lot with a backpack as he was loading the children into the back seat of his car. After hugging the boys, Osteen retrieved a gun from the bag and began firing. She shot into the vehicle three times, then backed up and fired again as Jones screamed and attempted to flee.

Jones ran into the daycare for safety but became trapped between the facility’s two security doors. Osteen reportedly followed and shot three more times through the glass. Her weapon jammed, and as she cleared it outside, she was heard saying, “Please, let the monster die.” She then returned and told Jones, “You got to die. Chris, you can’t kill my kids.” Jones responded, “I’m not killing nobody,” before being shot again.

When deputies arrived, Osteen surrendered immediately, saying, “I’m right here y’all. I done it in self-defense.” Jones, still alive at the scene, identified Osteen as the shooter. He later died from his injuries at a local hospital.

In total, eight children and two daycare employees were present at the time of the shooting. The daycare itself was placed on lockdown and parts of the incident were captured on surveillance footage.

Just days before the shooting, Osteen and Jones had been given a temporary custody schedule by the court. There was no known confrontation that day, but the couple had a history of domestic disputes dating back to at least 2020.

Jones’s sister told local reporters that her brother had been working to turn his life around and wanted to be a role model for his sons. “He regretted so much from his past,” she said. “He made that change. He wanted to be someone they could look up to.”

Now, their children are left without both parents—their father dead and their mother behind bars awaiting trial.

As the investigation continues, Starke is left reeling from a senseless tragedy that happened during what should have been a part of an every day routine. Instead, the children will carry this trauma for the rest of their lives.