Kentucky Sheriff Charged With Shooting of Judge Inside Courthouse

A Kentucky judge is dead and the county sheriff is in jail, charged with shooting the judge multiple times Thursday inside the courthouse.

Local and national News outlets reported that Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested at the courthouse in Whitesburg, southeast of Lexington, after an argument with the judge led to gunfire. District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, died at the scene, the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier Journal reported.

The Kentucky State Police are investigating the incident, which officials described as unprecedented and shocking.

“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 in a social media post.

Authorities had not provided a possible motive for the shooting or what the argument was about. Mullins, a judge for 15 years, was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people in the justice system, the AP noted.

Stines, 43, the sheriff since 2018, was named as a defendant in a lawsuit in 2022, which alleged that a former deputy forced a woman to have sex in the judge’s chambers. Stines fired the deputy, but was scheduled to give a deposition in the case this week, the Louisville newspaper reported.

It’s possible that Mullins’ spouse will qualify for workers’ compensation fatality benefits if the shooting is determined to be work-related. Court decisions across the country have found that eligibility depends on the particular circumstances of an injury, including the motive of the shooter.

Related: Employer Can’t Deny Comp Claim in Shooting Then Argue Immunity

Topics Legislation