Dispute in the courthouse: Sheriff shoots US judge

Dispute in the courthouse
Sheriff shoots US judge

20.09.2024, 11:44 a.m.

Listen to article

Normally, judges and sheriffs are on the same side of the law. However, in a small town in the USA, a fateful dispute occurs in which the judge loses his life and the sheriff becomes a defendant.

A judge was shot dead in a courthouse in the US state of Kentucky. The perpetrator is believed to be the local sheriff, police said. Governor Andy Beshear said the judge was shot dead in his office in Whitesburg. “According to initial findings, this was preceded by an argument,” police said. 54-year-old judge Kevin Mullins was hit by several bullets and was declared responsible for everything at the scene.

According to police, the sheriff, a 43-year-old, did not resist arrest. The investigation is ongoing and the man is accused of murder, it was said. It is unclear whether the man used his service weapon for the crime.

“Police have not released any details about the argument that led to the shooting, and the motive remains under investigation,” Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart told WJHL, adding that it was an “isolated” incident. “We are still trying to get answers to the questions that led up to the actual shooting and the moments leading up to it,” Gayheart said.

The court must be closed

Beshear wrote on social media: “There is far too much violence in this world and I pray there is a path to a better future.” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office would work with a district attorney in the area as a special prosecutor in the case. The incident occurred at the Letcher County Courthouse, which was closed for the rest of the day.

Mullins has served as a district judge in Kentucky's 47th District Court, which covers Letcher County, since his appointment by Beshear in 2009. Chief District Attorney Matt Butler spoke of an outpouring of sympathy when he and his office recused themselves from the shooting investigation, citing social and family ties to Mullins.