A district court judge in Kentucky was fatally shot in his chambers Thursday afternoon, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

After word spread that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines was charged with first-degree murder, and that Kevin Mullins, a district judge, had been shot, Kentucky leaders and community members saw yet another local act of gun violence make national news.

A sheriff charged with murder in the shooting of a rural Kentucky judge in his courthouse chambers is accused in a federal lawsuit of ignoring abuse by one of his deputies, who later pleaded guilty to

Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins was shot and killed by a sheriff while in his chambers. Gov. Andy Beshear rebuked the violence in a public statement.

The sheriff charged with murder in the shooting of a rural Kentucky judge in his courthouse chambers was accused in a federal lawsuit of failing to investigate allegations that one of his deputies repeatedly sexually abused a woman in the same judge’s chambers.

A small eastern Kentucky community is reeling and searching for answers after a Letcher County sheriff was arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Judge Kevin Mullins in his district office Thursday afternoon.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins, who was killed Thursday.