Kentucky judge shot in courtroom, sheriff charged with murder: OfficialsMyClallamCounty.com

(WHITESBURG, Kentucky) – Investigators are searching for a motive after a Kentucky sheriff was arrested for allegedly gunning down a judge in his office, officials said.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins at the Letcher County Courthouse Thursday afternoon, officials said.

A 911 caller reported gunshots in the courthouse and emergency responders found 54-year-old Mullins with multiple gunshot wounds, Kentucky State Police said. He was shot in his office, said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Stines, 43, allegedly shot Mullins “after an argument inside the courthouse,” Kentucky State Police said. Officials said they had not yet determined whether Stines used his “service weapon.”

Stines is cooperating with authorities conducting the investigation, officials said. It was unclear whether Stines has an attorney.

The motive is still under investigation, Kentucky State Police Detective Matt Gayheart told ABC affiliate station WJHL in Johnson City, Tennessee.

No one else was in the judge's chambers at the time of the shooting, Gayheart said.

“This is an isolated case and there is no danger to the public,” he said.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with 27th Judicial District Attorney Jackie Steele as special prosecutor in the case.

By order of Letcher County Judge and Administrative Officer Terry Adams, the courthouse in Whitesburg was closed on Friday.

Whitesburg Mayor Tiffany Craft told ABC affiliate WTVQ in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday that the incident had “shaken the community to its core.”

“You would never dream that something like this could ever happen in a small town,” she told the station, adding that both Mullins and Stines were considered “two great pillars of the community.”

Letcher County Circuit Court Clerk Mike Watts has known both Stines and Mullins for decades and spoke with WTVQ on Saturday.

“Both men were my friends and my work family, and I saw them almost daily while we were at work,” Watts said. “Even the judge and the sheriff had lunch together that day,” he said.

Watts said he “cannot believe at all” that something like this could happen in this county.

Letcher County District Attorney Matt Butler has recused himself from the case.

Butler not only worked with the sheriff but also had a “close, personal relationship” with the judge, he said in a self-recorded video on Friday.

Butler and Mullins were formerly brothers-in-law when they were married to two sisters, Butler said.

“His daughters are my nieces. My two oldest children are his niece and nephew,” Butler said. “As a brother-in-law, I will never forget how kind he was to my children.”

And when the judge was the prosecutor and Butler was the public defender, they faced each other in court but always remained friendly outside of court, Butler said.

In his message, Butler urged people to “pray for everyone involved.”

Laurance B. VanMeter, chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, said in a statement that he was “shocked by this act of violence,” adding that the “court system is shaken by this news.”

“My prayers are with his family and the Letcher County community as they try to process and mourn this tragic loss. On their behalf, I ask for respect and privacy,” he said.

“While the investigation is ongoing, we are committed to assisting in any way we can,” the Kentucky Court of Justice said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies go out to all those affected by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the community during this difficult time.”

Stines was ousted in a lawsuit Monday alleging that the sheriff failed to investigate one of his deputies who sexually assaulted a woman in Mullins' office.

Mullins had been a district judge in Kentucky's 47th District Court, which covers Letcher County, since 2009. At that time, he was appointed by then-Governor Steve Beshear, the current governor's father.

He graduated from the University of Kentucky and received his law degree from the University of Louisville.

Letcher County is located on the border between Kentucky and Virginia, about 150 miles southeast of Lexington, Kentucky.

ABC News' Victoria Arancio, Jack Date, Darren Reynolds and Leah Sarnoff contributed to this report.

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