A KENTUCKY sheriff has been arrested after a judge was shot dead in his chambers, police have said.
Cops confirmed District Judge Kevin Mullins died at the scene in the Letcher County Courthouse.
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Aged 54, Judge Kevin Mullins was a District Judge in Letcher County, Kentucky, a position he had held for 15 years.
Before becoming a judge, he had been a prosecutor in Letcher County since 2001.
Judge Mullins graduated from the University of Kentucky and the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.
As a district judge of the 47th Judicial District, he was responsible for handling juvenile cases and misdemeanors.
He also presided over hearings involving city and county ordinances, traffic offenses, probate of wills, arraignments, small claims, civil cases involving $5,000 or less.
Judge Mullins also handled cases involving domestic violence.
Announcing his death on social media, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said: “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”
Fatally shot
On September 19, 2024, Judge Mullins was killed in his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse.
Officials said he was shot multiple times at around 2pm local time at the court in Whitesburg, Kentucky.
The alleged shooter, Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, was arrested at the scene without incident, Kentucky State Police said.
Following the shooting, he reportedly walked into the courthouse foyer with his hands up and surrendered to police.
Stines has since been charged with one count of first-degree murder.
Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart said: “This community is small in nature, and we’re all shook.
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He added that there were 50 employees inside the court building when the shooting occurred, but no one else was hurt.
The spokesman also said that a school in the area was briefly placed on lockdown.
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence”.
The state attorney general, Russell Coleman, added that his office “will fully investigate and pursue justice”.
