Kentucky judge fatally shot inside his chambers by local sheriff, police say. Here’s what we know so far.
Judge Kevin Mullins was pronounced dead at the scene, and Shawn Stines was arrested and charged with murder.
A judge was fatally shot in his chambers by a local sheriff after an argument at a courthouse in Whitesburg, Ky., on Thursday, state police say.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene. Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. (“Mickey”) Stines, 43, was arrested and charged with murder.
“Sadly, I have been informed that a district judge in Letcher County was shot and killed in his chambers this afternoon,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a post on X. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”
What happened?
The shooting happened at approximately 2:55 p.m. Thursday when Kentucky State Police received a 911 call from the Letcher County Courthouse “in reference to shots being fired from inside the building,” state trooper Matt Gayheart said in a Facebook post.
Several law enforcement agencies and emergency medical services responded to the scene and found Mullins with multiple gunshot wounds. “Lifesaving measures were attempted but unsuccessful,” Gayheart said.
Stines was taken into custody at the scene without incident and charged with one count of murder.
Mike Watts, the Letcher County circuit court clerk, told the Associated Press that he saw Mullins and Stines inside the judge’s chambers about three hours before the shooting when he went in to ask Mullins to sign some papers. Mullins and Stines were getting ready to go out to lunch together, Watts said.
“It seemed like an ordinary interaction, except that Stines seemed quieter than usual,” Watts told the AP.
What was the reaction?
The shooting sent shockwaves through Whitesburg, a town with a population of approximately 1,700 located 145 miles southeast of Lexington.
“This community is small in nature,” Gayheart said at a news conference on Thursday evening. “And we’re all shook.”
Matt Butler, the lead prosecutor for Letcher County, said in a statement he is recusing himself from the case because of close family ties to the slain judge.
“We all know each other here. For example, anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married a pair of sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings,” Butler said. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.”
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will appoint special prosecutors to “fully investigate and pursue justice.”
What we know about the victim and the suspect
Mullins has served as a district judge for Kentucky’s 47th District Court in Letcher County since 2010. Before his judicial appointment, Mullins served as assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Letcher County and primarily focused on drug-related offenses, according to CNN.
The AP noted that Mullins “was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment.”
He had recently been appointed to a state judicial commission on mental health.
Stines was elected sheriff in 2018 and reelected in 2022. According to the New York Times, Stines has been named a defendant in two federal lawsuits as sheriff, including one “involving a former sheriff deputy who was accused of sexually abusing an inmate.”
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