John Jefferson
Insets, left to right: Letcher County (Ky.) Sheriff Shawn Stines (CBS/YouTube); Letcher District Judge Kevin Mullins (Kentucky Court of Justice via AP). Background: Outside the Letcher County Courthouse in Kentucky (WHAS).
A Kentucky sheriff has been charged with shooting and killing a judge in his chambers during an argument.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Letcher District Judge Kevin D. Mullins, 54, police said in a news conference.
The reason for the alleged conflict was not immediately clear.
“We know that it was an argument between the two … but what exactly transpired prior to the shots being fired, that’s still something we’re trying to get answers to,” State Trooper Matt Gayheart told reporters on Thursday, according to local news affiliate WJHL.
The bloodshed unfolded on Thursday afternoon before 3 p.m. at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, in southeastern Kentucky. The sheriff allegedly walked into the court and told court employees and others he needed to talk to Mullins alone before the two entered the judge’s chambers, The Mountain Eagle reported. Stines allegedly shot the judge, then surrendered to police, officials said.
Multiple police agencies responded to 911 calls of shots fired inside the building. Mullins was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead at the scene, officials said.
The violence stunned the community, prompted school lockdowns in the small downtown area, and caused the courthouse to shut down until further notice.
Gayheart, the state trooper, described Letcher County as isolated and mountainous and said Thursday’s violence was unprecedented.
“I’ve not had a chance to speak to many people — it’s been a very hectic and busy day — but this community is small in nature and we’re all shook,” he said, according to WJHL.
On the social media platform X, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed early on that the judge had been shot.
“Sadly, I have been informed that a district judge in Letcher County was shot and killed in his chambers this afternoon,” Beshear wrote. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman also took to X, saying his office will work with the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit, Jackie Steele, as special prosecutors to investigate.
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