‘We’re all shook’: A close-knit Kentucky community is grappling with the jailing of their sheriff in the killing of a district judge
CNN
A small, tight-knit southeast Kentucky community has been reeling after their sheriff was arrested for the killing of a prominent district judge in his chambers Thursday – spurring residents to wonder what could have triggered the shooting and prompting calls for better courthouse security.
A small, tight-knit southeast Kentucky community has been reeling after their sheriff was arrested for the killing of a prominent district judge in his chambers Thursday – spurring residents to wonder what could have triggered the shooting and prompting calls for better courthouse security. Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43 - a man whose role made him responsible for judges’ personal security - gunned down District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, at the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, according to Kentucky State Police. Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was arrested at the scene without incident, authorities said. He is now facing a first-degree murder charge, state police said. The killing sent shockwaves through the tiny town of Whitesburg – with a population of 1,711 people. “This community is small in nature, and we’re all shook,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a Thursday evening news conference. It all happened after an argument between the two men inside the judge’s chambers on Thursday afternoon, a preliminary investigation revealed.