The local community in southeastern Kentucky was left in shock when the sheriff of Letcher County shot and killed a court judge inside a courthouse following a dispute. The police confirmed that Sheriff Mickey Stines, aged 43, surrendered himself after fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County Courthouse, situated in the city of Whitesburg, Thursday afternoon around 2:55pm. The state police hit him with first-degree murder charges, as conveyed by Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart during Thursday’s press briefing.
Having cooperated with investigators, Sheriff Stines was held at a nearby prison. Mullins, 54 years of age, succumbed to several gunshot injuries at the shootout scene, confirmed Trooper Gayheart.
As part of the investigation process, interviews were conducted with individuals who were present in the courthouse during the incident. Police are still working to understand the cause of the argument that led to the unfortunate incident.
The shooting news was shared with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who voiced his concern about the high level of violence in society, urging a more peaceful future. The violent act resulted in fear within the local community with lockdowns pronounced in nearby schools until the police assured that the event was an isolated incident and the public was not under any threat.
The attorney general of Kentucky, Russell Coleman, expressed that his office would cooperate with local authorities to scrutinise and prosecute the incident.
The shooting left the population of Letcher County, approximately 110 miles southeast of Lexington and home to around 21,500 residents, in sheer disbelief.
With his political career beginning in 2010 when he was elected by county inhabitants, Mullins recently received an appointment to a state judicial commission focusing on mental health, as per Ballotpedia, an election tracking website. Stines began his term as sheriff in 2018 and was successfully re-elected in 2022.