A judge in a rural Kentucky county was shot and killed in his courtroom Thursday. The local sheriff has been charged with the killing, police said.
A preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following a dispute in the courtroom, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who served as judge for 15 years, died at the scene and Stines surrendered to police.
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence” and said the justice system was “shaken by this news.”
Letcher County Judge-Executive signed an order closing the county courthouse Friday.
Stines, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder.
The investigation is continuing, police said.
Reacting to the shooting, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a social media post: “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray that there is a path to a better future.”
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with a local commonwealth’s attorney as a special prosecutor in the criminal case.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation and pursue justice,” Coleman said on social media.