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According to the Kentucky State Police, investigators are trying to determine what motivated a Kentucky sheriff to shoot a district judge after an argument broke out between the two in the judge’s chambers.

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was found with multiple gunshot wounds around 3 p.m. Thursday and pronounced dead at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a news conference Thursday evening.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, shot Mullins after an argument in the judge’s chambers, a preliminary investigation revealed. Stines is now charged with first-degree murder, state police said. CNN is trying to determine whether Stines has hired an attorney.

Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was arrested at the scene on Thursday without incident, authorities said. He is cooperating with authorities, Gayheart said. It is unclear who will take over as county sheriff after the arrest of Stines, who served as sheriff for about eight years.

“This community is small by nature and we are all devastated,” Gayheart said of the shooting.

While there were other people in the building at the time, no one else was in the judge’s chambers and no other injuries were reported. There is no danger to the public, Gayheart added.

Police have not yet released details about the argument that led to the shooting, and the motive remains under investigation, Gayheart said, adding that it was an “isolated” incident.

“We’re 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 killing came less than two weeks after southeastern Kentucky was rocked by a highway shooting earlier this month that left five people injured in Laurel County. And just three days ago, a Russell County sheriff’s deputy was killed in the line of duty, officials said.

“There is far too much violence in this world and I pray there is a path to a better future,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a social media post.

Here is what we know so far about the two men, the murder and the investigation:

What we know about Mullins and Stines

Mullins, a Jackhorn resident, has served as a district judge in Kentucky’s 47th District Court in Letcher County since his appointment by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009, according to the Associated Press. He was elected a year later and re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Before his appointment as a judge, Mullins was an assistant district attorney in Letcher County, dealing primarily with drug-related cases, according to CNN affiliate WKYT. He was admitted to the bar in 1995.

According to the Kentucky nonprofit SOAR, the district judge began promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system in 2010. Hundreds have been placed in residential drug treatment centers with his help, the Associated Press reported.

Addiction Recovery Care, which provides inpatient and outpatient treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in eastern and central Kentucky, began working closely with Mullins in 2018 to provide faster access to treatment through a community liaison at the courthouse, according to SOAR. The program has been rolled out in at least 50 counties in Kentucky, the AP reported. He was also a founding member of an opioid withdrawal support team.

Stines was first elected sheriff in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. Earlier this month, the sheriff highlighted the department’s work, including recent drug raids.

“Thank you to the great citizens of Letcher County for letting us help you and for providing us with information that helped us catch fugitives and help us get drugs off our streets,” Stines wrote in a Facebook post on Sept. 4.

State police said Thursday that an investigation is currently underway into how the fatal shooting occurred and what the argument between the two men was about.

“We know there was an argument between the two that preceded the incident, but what exactly happened before the shots were fired is something we are still trying to find answers to,” Gayheart said.

There are cameras in the building and all witnesses are being questioned, Gayheart said Thursday.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said Thursday that his office would work with Jackie Steele, the United States Attorney for the 27th Judicial District, as a special prosecutor in the case.

“We will fully investigate the matter and seek justice,” Coleman said.

According to Gayheart, Mullins’ body will be sent to the coroner’s office.

“The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by Detective Clayton Stamper of KSP Post 13,” Gayheart said in a Facebook post.

The Kentucky court is aware of the “tragic” incident in Letcher County, the court said in a statement on Facebook. “We are currently in contact with law enforcement, including the Kentucky State Police, and offer our full support during this difficult time,” the statement said.

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said in a statement that he was “shocked” by Mullins’ killing and that the court was “shaken.”

“My prayers are with his family and the Letcher County community as they try to process and mourn this tragic loss,” VanMeter said.

Letcher County District Attorney Matt Butler will recuse himself from the sheriff’s prosecution because his wife is the sister of Mullins’ wife, Butler said in a statement Thursday night.

He described the sheriff and the judge as “two men I worked with for seventeen years and loved like brothers.”

“We all know each other here. For example, anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married two sisters and that we have children who are first cousins ​​but act like siblings,” Butler said.

“Please pray for Judge Mullins’ family and my children. Ian and Ivy have been crying and crying and begging to see their uncle,” he added. “My community is absolutely devastated.”

As a result of the shooting, county and district courts and the county clerk’s office will remain closed until operations can resume, Kentucky court officials said Thursday. Schools in Letcher County and Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College were also briefly locked down after the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

Kentucky State Auditor Allison Ball said in a post on X that she was “praying for Letcher County and District Judge Kevin Mullins.”

“May God protect this community and everyone involved in the shooting,” Ball said.