Second Amendment Solutions In Court

Kentucky judge shot and killed in his chambers by sheriff, officials say.

A district court judge in Kentucky was shot and killed in his chambers Thursday afternoon after an argument with the county sheriff, according to county and state officials.

Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot about 2 p.m. at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, county coroner Perry Fowler told The Washington Post. Mullins died at the scene, Fowler said.

The county sheriff, Shawn Stines, 43, fatally shot Mullins after an argument inside the courthouse, the Kentucky State Police said in a statement. Stines is in custody and has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.

The investigation is ongoing, said Trooper Matt Gayheart, a Kentucky State Police spokesman. “The motive, what led up to the shooting, is what we’re trying to figure out.”

Law enforcement received a 911 call about 2:55 p.m. Thursday, state police said. When officials arrived, Mullins had multiple gunshot wounds. Lifesaving measures were attempted but unsuccessful, police said. Stines was detained without incident, police added.

There were about 50 employees inside the courthouse when the shooting happened, according to Gayheart. No one else was injured.

It’s a jarring incident for the town of 1,600. Whitesburg, the county seat, is about 145 miles southeast of Lexington, nestled in the Appalachia region and near the Virginia state line.

“This is a new one for me,” said Gayheart, who said he has been with the state police for 14 years. “This is the only incident like this I’ve heard of in this county.”

Mullins had been serving as a district judge since 2009. Stines is serving his second term as county sheriff.

“Sadly, I have been informed that a district judge in Letcher County was shot and killed in his chambers this afternoon,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman (R) said his office will “fully investigate and pursue justice.”