US officer arrested over killing of judge in court
District Judge Kevin Mullins was shot multiple times in the Letcher County Courthouse and died at the scene, according to Kentucky State Police.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.
Police said the shooting occurred on Thursday following an argument inside the court, but they have yet to identify the motivation.
Mullins, 54, was shot numerous times on Thursday at 14:00 local time at the court in Whitesburg, Kentucky, a small rural community about 150 miles (240 kilometres) southeast of Lexington.
Kentucky State Police said that Sheriff Stines was arrested at the site without incident.
They did not reveal the nature of the debate prior to the shooting.
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According to the Mountain Eagle, Sheriff Stines entered the judge’s outer office and informed court officials that he needed to meet with Mullins alone.
The two went into the judge’s chambers, closing the door behind them.
The publication said that those outside heard gunshots. Sheriff Stines apparently went out with his hands raised and surrendered to police. He was handcuffed in the courthouse’s lobby.
Russell Coleman, the state attorney general, stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his office “will fully investigate and pursue justice.”
Kentucky State Police spokesperson Matt Gayheart said at a news conference that the town was startled by the incident.
“This community is small in nature, and we’re all shook,” he told me.
Mr. Gayheart stated that 50 personnel were inside the courthouse when the shooting occurred. Nobody else was wounded.
A school in the region was momentarily put under lockdown. Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter was “shocked by this act of violence.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Judge Mullins’ death on social media, writing, “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”
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