BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – Two days after tragedy struck, Melanie Russo is still struggling to process the loss of her younger brother, Christopher—known as “Chris” to his loved ones.
“This is not real,” Russo said, recalling the moment she learned of the shooting that took her younger brother’s life. “My sister called me. The only words she could get out of her mouth was ‘been shot Chris.’ I said, ‘What?’ I couldn’t believe it.”
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According to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred on Friday, just before 6 p.m. Authorities received a call from Auntie Lili’s Child Care Center on Washington Street, near Bradford High School, reporting a woman with a gun.
Soon after, additional calls reported shots fired and a man injured. When deputies arrived, they found Jones had been shot multiple times. He later died at the hospital.
Law enforcement arrested Mindy Michelle Osteen at the scene in connection with the shooting.
Russo described her brother as someone who was “really just like a brother to everybody,” beloved by his friends and family. The loss has already deeply affected Jones’ two young sons.
“The boys are very young. His oldest boy, like I said, he’s about to be three, and he’s not very verbal. He has some medical issues where he’s gotta get a surgery done for tubes in his ears,” Russo explained. “It is very obvious that they keep looking out the window for Dad to come home.”
Beyond her grief, Russo expressed frustration, believing her brother’s death could have been prevented.
“People wanna stand up and speak for women all the time. Men can be victims too. Men can be victims too, and I saw it with my own two eyes. I saw him live through it,” she said.
Russo shared that Jones had reached out for help as his relationship with Osteen became increasingly concerning, fearing for his own safety and that of his children.
“He just wanted everything for these boys, and he was going to work his butt off and do everything he had to do to get there. And it is devastating that he’s not gonna be here to do that for them now,” Russo said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses and offer financial support to Jones’s two sons. Those who would like to donate can find the link here.
