According to Kentucky State Police, a local sheriff allegedly shot and killed a district judge inside a courthouse on Thursday.

The shooting reportedly occurred in the Letcher County Courthouse.

“Several law enforcement agencies and emergency medical services responded to the scene and located District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, with multiple gunshot wounds,” WKYT reports.

“Multiple emergency crews and authorities are currently on the scene in Whitesburg, Kentucky, after Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested in connection with a shooting at the Letcher County Courthouse. Stines is accused of fatally shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins in his office near the District Courtroom,” Rawsalerts wrote.

“Officials have confirmed that the judge has died, though it remains unclear if anyone else was injured during the incident. The courthouse had been placed on lockdown but since lifted, and an investigation is underway as authorities work to determine the motive behind the shooting,” the post added.

WKYT reports:

Mullins was pronounced dead on scene by the Letcher County Coroner’s Office.

KSP’s preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines, 43, shot Mullins following an argument inside the courthouse.

They say Stines was taken into custody at the scene without incident.

Stines has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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

“Police did not reveal a motive or the nature of the argument that led to the shooting,” CBS News noted.

“We know that it was an argument between the two that led up, but what exactly transpired prior to the shots being fired, that’s still things that we’re trying to get answers to,” Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart said.

The Mountain Eagle, a local newspaper, noted:

Stines allegedly walked into the judge’s outer office, told court employees and others gathered there that he needed to speak with Mullins alone. The two then went into the inner office, closed the door and those outside heard shots. Stines walked out with his hands up and surrendered to police.

Court employees were on the sidewalk outside the courthouse in shock following the shooting. Stines was handcuffed in the foyer of the courthouse. Officials expected the investigation to continue for several more hours.

Although the motive remains unclear, a 2022 lawsuit may shed some light as the investigation continues.

“Stines was cited as a defendant in a 2022 lawsuit against one of his deputies, accusing the deputy of offering ‘favorable treatment’ to a plaintiff if she ‘provided him with sexual favors,’ according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News,” TODAY noted.

TODAY reports:

The deputy took the woman “into District Judge Mullins’ chambers, telling Plaintiff that he wanted to meet her there because there were no cameras,” the complaint stated.

Stines was accused of not properly training the deputy, who was later fired. Stines was scheduled to testify in a deposition on Monday, according to court documents.

Per Daily Mail:

The lawsuit claims Sheriff Stines did not ‘reasonably respond’ to reports or suspicions about the sexual abuse and had a ‘deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise’ Fields, the New York Times reports.

It is unclear from the court documents whether Mullins was aware of the sexual abuse in his office at the time or whether he was involved in any wrongdoing, but the court documents do list him as someone with information in the case.

It is also unclear whether the sexual abuse case may have been a motive in the shooting on Thursday, when Stines allegedly walked into Mullins’ chambers and told staff he needed to speak to the judge alone.

He and Mullins then entered the judge’s inner office, closed the door and those outside heard a number of gunshots, according to The Mountain Eagle.

Stines then walked out with his hands raised and surrendered to officers, who placed him in handcuffs at around 3pm as Kentucky State Police officers found Mullins, 54, with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The sheriff is now facing first-degree murder charges, and is said to be cooperating with State Police investigating the incident, the New York Times report.

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