BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. — The sister of a Bradford County father who was shot and killed outside a daycare is speaking out, saying the tragedy could’ve been prevented.

Christopher Jones, 37, was gunned down last Friday in Starke. The accused shooter is the mother of his children, 34-year-old Mindy Osteen.

“He was such an amazing father,” said Melanie Russo, Jones’ sister, “I mean he worked so hard and when he wasn’t working he was with those boys.”

Devoted and loving father is how Melanie Russo wants her brother, Chris, to be remembered.

According to Bradford County police, on July 25, Jones was shot and killed by Osteen.

Russo said Jones was picking up his sons from daycare when Osteen showed up unexpectedly and started shooting at him. He later died at a hospital.

“How do you plan and execute a murder of somebody and then to do it in front of your own children, putting them at risk, they could have been harmed, they could have been shot, they were in that car right behind him while she shot at him in the vehicle,” said Russo.

Court records show Osteen has an extensive criminal history going back more than a decade, ranging from battery and drug possession to fraud and child cruelty.

Russo said her brother had raised concerns about Osteen’s behavior during their relationship.

“You could see it through text messages, through stalking, through harassing and child pick up and drop offs,” she said, “He would call me sometimes and he’d say ‘I need help. I don’t know what to do. She’s doing this or she’s acting this way,’ and I would just give him the best advice I could, and the best advice was sweetheart you gotta get out of that situation. Nobody expected it to get this far.”

Now the couple’s two young sons are in the care of relatives, left to grow up without both parents.

“The oldest son was sitting next to me and he saw a picture of his Dad and he said daddy, daddy and I just told him Daddy loves you,” Russo said. “That’s all that we can do is just remind them keep his face in their mind, remind them how much, he gave his life for them and that’s all we can do right now.”

Jones’ family is urging others to speak out about domestic violence, regardless of gender.

Mindy Osteen is still being held without bond in the Bradford County Jail. She’s being charged with first-degree murder, cruelty toward a child, weapon possession and larceny.