Kentucky sheriff faces murder charge after judge killed in courthouse

A Kentucky sheriff faces murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a local judge in his office Thursday afternoon.

According to authorities, 43-year-old Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot and killed 54-year-old District Judge Kevin Mullins on Thursday afternoon following an argument at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

Here you can find out everything you need to know about the shooting.

What happened during the shooting?

Police were called to the courthouse shortly before 3 p.m. on Thursday after a 911 call reported shots fired in the building.

According to Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart, officers found Mullins with “multiple gunshot wounds.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stines was arrested without incident and is now charged with murder, Gayheart said.

Gayheart said Mullins was shot after an argument. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with Commonwealth Attorney for the 27th Judicial District Jackie Steele to investigate the shooting.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed that a judge was shot in a Post on X on Thursday.

“There is far too much violence in this world and I pray there is a path to a better future,” Beshear wrote.

More:Authorities find suspected suspect in Kentucky highway shooting

Who is Kevin Mullins?

According to The Mountain Eagle, Mullins was appointed district judge in the 47th Judicial District by former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear in 2009. He previously served as an assistant district attorney in Letcher County since 2001, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Mullins supported programs that diverted people with drug problems into treatment programs rather than incarcerating them.

Mullins pushed for the expansion of the local addiction rehabilitation program, The Hub, to provide another option for people who have come into contact with the criminal justice system, said Mark O'Brien, a local site manager for the program.

O'Brien said Mullins helped him in his own recovery. Mullins “has always supported the recovery of a community hit hard by the opioid epidemic,” O'Brien posted on Facebook.

Letcher County District Attorney Matt Butler posted on Facebook: “Our community has been the victim of an act of violence, apparently between two men I worked with for seventeen years and loved as brothers.”

He wrote that his two oldest children had lost their beloved “Unkie” in Mullins' death. “For many people, including my own children, this will be the hardest day of their lives and I ask for your respect and love for these children,” he wrote.

Letcher County Chief Judge Laurance VanMeter said in a statement posted on Facebook: “I am shocked by this act of violence and the court system is devastated by the news.”

“My prayers are with his family and the Letcher County community as they try to process and mourn this tragic loss,” he wrote.

According to the Courier Journal, Mullins earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and later attended the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

According to Gayheart, he is from Jackhorn, Kentucky.

Who is Sheriff Shawn M. Stines?

Stines, whose nickname is “Mickey,” was elected county sheriff in 2018. He previously served as a bailiff in Letcher County District Court, according to The Mountain Eagle.

Stines was scheduled to testify Monday in a 2022 lawsuit, the Courier Journal reported. The lawsuit accuses a former deputy sheriff of offering a woman “preferential treatment in exchange for sexual favors.”

The Kentucky woman who filed the lawsuit accused former Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields of forcing her to perform sexual acts that allegedly took place in Mullins' apartment after the woman said she could not afford home detention. According to the lawsuit, Fields asked the woman to meet him at the courthouse after dark and removed her ankle bracelet. The lawsuit did not mention that Mullins was aware of the alleged abuse in his apartment.

Stines, one of the defendants in the case, was accused of failing to “adequately train” Fields and “failing to respond appropriately” to reports of the alleged abuse. He later fired Fields for “improper conduct,” the Courier Journal reported.

According to The Mountain Eagle, Stines was sued in 2019 by another deputy who claimed he retaliated against her after she campaigned against him in an election.

According to Gayheart, Stines is from McRoberts, Kentucky.

Is the courthouse closed?

Letcher County's circuit court, district court and clerk's office remained closed Thursday “until court operations can resume,” a Facebook post said. Letcher County is not accepting court filings, the post said.

A local high school and college were placed on lockdown Thursday following the shooting. Letcher County Central High School, about 3 miles from the courthouse, said it was placed on lockdown after a call from Kentucky State Police. Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College also placed on lockdown in response to the shooting, with events on campus canceled.

Kentucky sheriff faces murder charge after judge killed in courthouse

What happened during the shooting?

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