NATCHEZ &045;&045; A lengthy history of domestic violence complaints apparently culminated Sunday in the shooting death of a Kingston man, authorities said.

Donna LaPrairie, 37, was taken into custody Sunday evening and charged with murder after allegedly shooting her 53 year-old husband, Ronnie LaPrairie, once in the chest with a .20-gauge shotgun. &uot;We’ve pulled nine reports of domestic violence involving this couple over the past few years. In one of those incidents, both the husband and the wife were arrested for simple assault,&uot; Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell said. Ferrell said the couple had separated several times before and recently got back together.

&uot;It’s tragic. This is the kind of thing we worry about all the time with domestic violence,&uot; Ferrell said.

Donna LaPrairie was arraigned Monday afternoon on a charge of murder. Her bond was set at $40,000, and she pleaded not guilty, Ferrell said.

The shooting reportedly occurred in the presence of the couple’s two sons, ages 11 and 14, in the carport area of their Ogden Road home. The two boys have been placed in the care of relatives.

Ferrell said Donna LaPrairie called his department at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday and reported that she had accidentally shot her husband.

&uot;She sounded hysterical on the phone,&uot; Ferrell said.

Deputies who responded to the scene were able to get a verbal statement from Ronnie LaPrairie, who died a short while later at Natchez Regional Medical Center. Ferrell said additional statements taken from Donna LaPrairie and the two sons indicated the family was preparing to go squirrel hunting when an argument ensued between Ronnie LaPrairie and one of the sons.

&uot;Apparently, he (Ronnie) started hitting one of the boys, and she (Donna) ran out there and grabbed a shotgun and shot him,&uot; Ferrell said, adding that alcohol or substance abuse did not appear to be factors in the incident. &uot;This appears to be what we call a ‘heat of passion’ crime.

All of the statements corroborated one another,&uot; he said.