A shocking incident unfolded in a rural Kentucky county on Thursday when the local sheriff allegedly shot and killed a district judge in his courthouse chambers. The accused, Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, is now facing murder charges for the death of District Judge Kevin Mullins. The fatal confrontation took place inside the Whitesville courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. The cause of the dispute that led to the shooting remains undisclosed.
Mullins, 54, was hit multiple times and was declared dead at the scene. He had a 15-year tenure as a judge. Stines, 53, surrendered to the authorities without any resistance, as per the police report.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community and the state’s judiciary. Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter expressed his shock and dismay at the violent act, stating that court staff were deeply shaken by the news. The courthouse, situated approximately 150 miles southeast of Lexington, was the scene of the shooting that occurred just before 3 p.m., leading to several nearby schools being put on lockdown, as per local news sources.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The courthouse has been ordered to remain closed on Friday by Letcher County’s judge-executive. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear responded to the incident, lamenting the prevalence of violence and expressing hope for a more peaceful future.
Mullins had been serving as a district judge in Letcher County since his appointment by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009. Prior to that, he had spent a decade as an assistant commonwealth attorney. Mullins was known for his innovative approach to dealing with drug addiction cases, favoring treatment options over incarceration. In 2010, he initiated a program that allowed inmates with substance use disorders to enroll in inpatient treatment as a condition of their pretrial release.
Mullins also helped establish the Addiction Recovery Care program, which provided peer support services in the courthouse. This program has since been implemented in at least 50 counties in Kentucky. He was a founding member of the Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts Leadership Team. Stines, on the other hand, was elected as the Sheriff of Letcher County in 2018 and was reelected in 2022.