Courtesy of Kentucky Lantern
A sheriff in eastern Kentucky has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting a district court judge Thursday at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg.
Kentucky State Police said District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. “Mickey” Stines, 43, was charged with one count of murder in the first degree, according to a news release by state police Thursday night.
Stines fatally shot Mullins following an argument inside the courthouse, state police said, and Stines was taken into custody at the scene without incident.
The Mountain Eagle reported Thursday afternoon that Stines was handcuffed in the foyer of the courthouse. The newspaper also reported that Stines had “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.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a social media post wrote that he’d been informed a Letcher County district judge had been shot and killed in his chambers. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” Beshear wrote on social media.
Letcher County Schools posted on social media that Kentucky State Police had advised them to go into lockdown because of the shooting.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman in a social media post wrote he and 27th Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele, who serves Knox and Laurel counties, would collaborate as special prosecutors in the case involving the “deadly shooting” and that the two would “fully investigate and pursue justice.”
Kentucky Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter in a statement Thursday night expressed shock “at this act of violence” and said the court system is shaken by the news. He said his prayers are with Mullins’ “family and the Letcher County community as they try to process and mourn this tragic loss. I ask for respect and privacy on their behalf.
“We will continue to monitor this situation. Out of respect for the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share further details. We are committed to supporting law enforcement in their efforts and will avoid any actions that could impede their important work. Our priority at this time is the well-being and safety of the Kentucky Court of Justice family.”
Mullins, of Jackhorn, was an assistant commonwealth’s attorney before being appointed district judge in 2009. He won election to the office in 2010. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville law school.
Stines, of McRoberts, was elected sheriff in 2018 and reelected in 2022. The Mountain Eagle reported in 2019 that Stines worked briefly as a Neon police officer and for the Letcher County sheriff and then worked for six years as a court bailiff in Letcher County until becoming sheriff.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
