Authorities in Bradford County, Florida, have released chilling new details in the fatal shooting of Christopher Jones, a father of two, who was gunned down while picking up his children from daycare. The suspect is the children’s mother, 34-year-old Mindy Osteen, who now faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, among others.

According to law enforcement officials, the July incident unfolded in a matter of seconds and in full view of children, including the couple’s own 2- and 1-year-old sons, who were already buckled into their car seats at the time of the shooting. Sheriff Gordon Smith called the scene “total chaos,” describing a community daycare turned crime scene just blocks from the sheriff’s office.

Security footage—still unreleased to the public—allegedly shows Osteen approaching Jones from behind as he prepared to leave. Moments earlier, the pair had exchanged their children with no signs of hostility. But authorities say Osteen then retrieved a semiautomatic handgun from her bag and fired five rounds through the car’s driver-side window.

Jones, though mortally wounded, managed to flee toward the daycare’s front entrance, but the inner door was locked. Osteen allegedly followed him and fired three more shots before her weapon jammed.

Sheriff Smith described Osteen’s behavior as “pure evil,” adding that the surveillance footage shows no indication of self-defense—a claim Osteen reportedly made to deputies at the scene. Witnesses say she raised her hands and declared, “Y’all, I done it in self-defense,” after deputies arrived.

Investigators also revealed that Osteen and Jones had been locked in a custody battle and that Osteen had previously lost custody of her older children. Authorities believe she may have premeditated the killing, citing a social media comment she allegedly made months earlier on a photo of her ex wearing a suit, in which she told Jones he “bought that suit for your funeral.”

Smith admitted that there were signs, referring to that comment and other communications now under review.

In a final grim detail, law enforcement discovered the couple’s two young sons still strapped in their car seats in the bloodstained vehicle after Jones collapsed inside the daycare.

The case has rocked the small Florida community, with Sheriff Smith acknowledging the trauma inflicted not just on the children and staff present, but on the first responders as well.

At the end of the day, this wasn’t just a crime, it was a massacre of peace in a place meant to be safe.

Osteen remains in custody without bond.