The death of Kevin Mullins Thursday shocked close-knit Whitesburg, Kentucky. The sheriff charged with murder is accused of ignoring sexual abuse inside the courthouse.

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.

Residents of a tiny Appalachian town struggled Friday to cope with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers and a local sheriff charged with his murder.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, was taken into custody at the scene without incident, police said. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Whitesburg, Kentucky community in shock after sheriff shoots, kills judge 24 TV Shows With Characters Who Unexplainably Disappeared Caitlin Clark, Fever shatter expensive record ahead of WNBA playoffs

The violence erupted after an argument inside the courthouse, police said. It wasn’t clear what led to the shooting.

The community of Whitesburg, Kentucky is in shock following the aftermath of a shooting resulting in a judge's death and the arrest of the county's sheriff.

An Eastern Kentucky sheriff was charged Thursday with shooting and killing a district judge inside the judge’s chambers at the courthouse in Whitesburg. Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, of Jackhorn, was shot multiple times around 3:05 p.