KY sheriff arrested in fatal shooting OF judge inside courthouse, say state police

[army judge]

A Kentucky sheriff has been arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of a district judge inside a courthouse, Kentucky State Police said.

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was found with multiple gunshots and he was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said.

A preliminary investigation found Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot Mullins after an argument inside the judge's chambers, according to state police.

Letcher County, Kentucky District Judge Kevin R. Mullins was fatally shot Thursday, state police say.
Letcher County government

Stines has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, state police added. It is unknown if Stines has an attorney.

"There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Facebook post.

The shooting took place at the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a Thursday evening news conference.

While other people were in the building at the time, no one else was inside the judge's chambers and no other injuries were reported.

Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was arrested at the scene without incident. He is cooperating with authorities, Gayheart said. It is unclear who will take over as sheriff of the county following his arrest.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines turned himself in after the shooting, authorities said.
Letcher County

There are cameras inside the building and all witnesses will be interviewed, the trooper added.

"This community is small in nature, and we're all shook," Gayheart said about the shooting.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman indicated Thursday his office will work with Jackie Steele, the commonwealth's attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit, as special prosecutors on the case.

"We will fully investigate and pursue justice," Coleman said.

As a result of the shooting, circuit and district courts, as well as the office of the circuit court clerk will be closed until operations can resume, Kentucky Courts officials said Thursday.

The Kentucky Court of Justice is aware of the "tragic" incident in Letcher County, the court said in a statement on Facebook.

"We are currently in contact with law enforcement agencies, including Kentucky State Police, and are offering our full support during this difficult time," the statement read.

In a statement, Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was "shocked" by Mullins' killing and the court was left "shaken."

"My prayers are with his family and the Letcher County community as they try to process and mourn this tragic loss," VanMeter said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN's Shirin Faqiri contributed to this report.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/19/us/kentucky-judge-shot-chambers/index.html

 

[justblue]

smh...

 

[Tax Counsel]

Cops are not immune to being part of the gun violence problem this country has. That any state in this nation today would allow a cop to enter a courthouse armed is shows poor judgment on the part of legislators. This isn't the first time a cop has killed a judge in the courthouse, even in the judge's own chambers or courtroom. Some years ago in my state a cop who was a party to a divorce case pulled his service weapon and killed the judge after a ruling the cop didn't like. In another case, a cop who was also a party to a divorce case shot his soon to be ex wife's lawyer in the courthouse. The state legislature finally got wise and prohibited any one other than court security personnel from being armed in a courthouse, including cops.

The federal courthouses here have long taken special measures to protect judges, including providing a secure parking area accessible only to judges, special elevators only judges may use, and banning anyone but the U.S. marshals on duty protecting the courthouse from bringing a weapon into the building. Judges have to make some tough decisions that may inflame a losing party to violence. Every state ought to ban everyone, including cops, from carrying weapons into courthouses except those that are part of the court security team. Judges need to feel safe in their own courtrooms to be able to do the work they do. Why any state today allows a law enforcement officer to bring a weapon into a courthouse when they are not assigned to court security duties boggles my mind.

 

[army judge]

The shooter wasn't a Deputy. The killer was the elected county sheriff. I don't think he's going to enjoy the decades he'll spend in prison.

 

[Tax Counsel]

Whatever his argument was with the judge about it couldn't have been anything close to making it worth spending the rest of his life (or at least most of it) in a state maximum security prison.