A woman from Mississippi has been accused of murder for allegedly shooting her estranged husband outside the Pearl River County Chancery Courthouse right after a divorce proceeding.
Tanya Lindell Saucier was immediately taken into custody by the Poplarville Police Department, the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office said.
The shooting took place on Tuesday shortly after noon.
Reports from WLOX reveal that the divorce case involving Tanya Saucier and Jansen Owen was the only one scheduled for that day at the Chancery Court. Due to the high level of conflict between the couple, they were set to meet separately. The situation was particularly tense as James Ray Saucier had previously faced charges of domestic violence aggravated assault back in August.
Tanya Saucier’s lawyer, Jansen Owen, expressed shock and disapproval of her actions. He emphasized that resorting to violence in a public place is unacceptable. Owen stressed that the incident was an act of unjustifiable vigilante justice and tragically witnessed the fatal shooting of James Saucier.
Owen, who called his client “Miss Saucier” and “Miss Tanya,” said that she appeared in court at 10 a.m. and that her husband appeared at 11 to finalize the divorce paperwork.
“I was leaving the building,” said Owen, who is also a state legislator, “Mr. James Ray was leaving right behind me, at which point I heard gunfire and ultimately determined that Miss Tanya had opened fire. I saw her continue to shoot at Mr. James Ray. She approached me, at which point I grabbed her and held her against the vehicle.”
Police rushed to the scene and took her into custody. Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Scott Allee said a 9mm handgun was recovered from the scene along with multiple shell casings.
