Gerrard Kaonga
Police are searching for a motive in a shocking incident that saw a county sheriff charged with shooting a district judge after an argument in the courtroom.
Police have confirmed that Kentucky District Judge 54-year-old Kevin Mullins was shot and killed at the County Courthouse in his chambers on September 19.
The 911 dispatcher's urgent request to police has been revealed following the shocking incident, saying: "Got shots fired on the second floor. 362 needs to be en route to the Letcher County Courthouse."
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The Letcher County Sheriff, 43-year-old Shawn Stines was arrested at the courthouse, without incident, for allegedly shooting the judge and has since been charged with first-degree murder.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the shooting and have not yet confirmed whether Stines used his ‘duty’ weapon in the alleged shooting.
Police have said that Stines is so far cooperating with officers as they investigate the situation further.
The incident has come at a great surprise to the community and the Whitesburg Mayor, Tiffany Craft, has spoken to local media about how it has been ‘rocked to the core’.
She said: “These were two great pillars of the community that we have now, in a sense, lost.
"This is just one of those things where you are just waiting to wake up from the nightmare.
“You'd never dream that anything like this is ever going to happen in your small town, especially Whitesburg.
“And here we are and you just don’t know where to turn from one moment to the next.”
Individuals who have worked with the pair of them have also shared their shock and argued that the pair were in fact friends.
Letcher County Circuit Clerk Mike Watts said he knew both the judge and sheriff for decades and saw them almost daily for work.
Watts said. "Even the judge and the sheriff ate lunch together that day."
While a motive is still being investigated, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart insisted authorities do know an argument transpired between the accused and the victim.
He said: “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”
He also said that the shooting was ‘an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.’
At the time of the shooting, the court and local schools in the area went into lockdown, however.
The courthouse, located in Whitesburg, was closed on Friday, according to an order by Letcher County Judge/Executive Terry Adams.