Sept 19 (Askume) – A rural Kentucky police sergeant was arrested on Thursday and charged with shooting and killing a district court judge following an argument inside a courtroom, authorities said.
Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 43, was taken into custody without incident at the Letcher County Courthouse before District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot and killed there, Kentucky State Police said in a statement.
Police did not disclose a motive for the shooting. Stings was charged with one count of first-degree murder.
“There’s enough violence in the world, and I pray that there’s a way to a better tomorrow,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on the X show.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman wrote on social media that his office would work with the special prosecutor on the case, writing, “We will conduct a thorough investigation and seek justice.”
The Kentucky State Court wrote on its social media that the court “understands the tragedy that occurred today in Letcher County” and expressed its full support for the state police investigation.
The shooting occurred in Whitesburg, the Letcher County seat, about 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of Louisville and near the Virginia border.
The Mountain Eagle reported from the court that Stines walked into the judge’s outer office and told court staff he needed to speak to Mullins alone. The two closed the inner office door behind them and then heard gunfire. Stines walked outside with his hands up and turned himself over to police, the Mountain Eagle said.
