A sheriff in rural eastern Kentucky shot and killed a district judge in the county courthouse, police confirmed on Thursday night.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, shot District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, following an argument inside the Letcher County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon, Kentucky State Police confirmed in a news release.
Mullins was treated by first responders for “multiple gunshot wounds,” police said, but died at the scene.
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Stines was taken into custody without incident and has since been charged with first-degree murder.
The Mountain Eagle, a local paper based in Whitesburg, first reported that the shooter was the sheriff. According to the original report, the sheriff walked into Judge Mullins’ office and told court staff he needed to speak with him alone.
Mullins’ staff heard gunshots, then the sheriff immediately surrendered to police, according to the report.
In a post on X, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear verified that a district judge in Letcher County was “shot and killed in his chambers this afternoon.”
“There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Kentucky State Police’s post in the region told the Daily Beast a suspect was in custody and investigation into the “isolated incident” was ongoing.
Calls to the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office went unanswered on Thursday afternoon.
“The Kentucky Court of Justice is aware of a tragic incident that occurred today in Letcher County,” officials said in a post on social media. “We are currently in contact with law enforcement agencies, including Kentucky State Police, and are offering our full support during this difficult time.”
Some schools in Letcher County were also briefly placed on mandatory lockdown due to the active shooter situation “downtown,” the district confirmed in a post on Facebook.
