Kentucky Sheriff Charged with Murder After Fatal Shooting of District Judge in Courthouse
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines was arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting and killing District Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky. According to police, the fatal incident occurred following an argument in Mullins' chambers.
Judge Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times, and despite emergency responders’ efforts, he succumbed to his injuries. Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart confirmed that Stines was arrested at the scene without resistance and has been charged with first-degree murder.
Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive or the specifics of the argument that preceded the shooting. "We know there was an argument, but we're still working to understand what exactly led to the shots being fired," Gayheart stated.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear expressed his condolences, condemning the violence, while Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter called the incident "shocking" and said the state’s judiciary was deeply shaken by the tragedy.
Sheriff Stines, who has served Letcher County since 2018, was reelected in 2022, while Judge Mullins had been a respected figure on the bench since his appointment in 2009. The Kentucky Attorney General’s office, alongside a regional commonwealth's attorney, will serve as special prosecutors in the case.
The town of Whitesburg, located near the Virginia border, is reeling from the loss of its district judge. A nearby school was briefly placed under lockdown following the shooting. This incident comes just a day after a separate manhunt in Kentucky related to a highway shooting ended with the suspect’s apparent death.
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