Sheriff arrested after Kentucky judge is shot dead in his chambers

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Kentucky sheriff was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly shooting a judge in his chambers on Thursday.

Police were called to the Letcher County Courthouse on Thursday around 3pm and found District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines, 43, shot Mullins after an argument inside the courthouse, according to the Kentucky State Police.

Stines has been charged with murder. His name does not yet appear in county jail records and it’s unclear if he has an attorney at this time.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said the shooting took place in the chambers of Judge Mullins.

“There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” he wrote in a statement on X.

Officials say the shooting was an isolated incident and there’s no threat to the public.

The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit Jackie Steele will collaborate as special prosecutors to pursue the case against Stines.

“We will fully investigate and pursue justice,” the attorney general’s office wrote in a statement.

“This is a new one for me,” Trooper Matt Gayheart, a Kentucky State Police spokesman, told The Washington Post. “This is the only incident like this I’ve heard of in this county.”

Judicial officials mourned their lost colleague.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to all those impacted by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the community during this challenging time,” the Kentucky Court of Justice wrote in a statement.

Mullins was known for advocating drug treatment options for those in the justice system, the Associated Press reports.

The Letcher County Courthouse will be closed on Friday, according to local officials.

Stines was first elected sheriff in 2018 and re-elected four years later.

The shooting comes a day after Kentucky police say they likely found the body of Joseph A. Couch, 32, who’s accused of opening fire on the nearby I-75 highway and wounding five earlier this month.