LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) – As the aftermath of Thursday’s shooting in Letcher County unfolds, LEX 18 has obtained additional background information on the victim and suspect.

The shooting victim, 54-year-old Judge Kevin Mullins, served as an assistant district attorney for eight years before former Governor Steve Beshear appointed him district judge in 2009.

As a district judge for Letcher County, he handled juvenile cases, misdemeanors, traffic violations, small claims, arraignments, and domestic violence cases.

For a time, Mullins’ alleged shooter, Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines, served as a bailiff in Mullins’ courtroom.

After serving as a bailiff, Stines was elected sheriff of Letcher County in 2018. He was re-elected in 2022.

According to court documents, Stines’ department had been rocked by controversy long before Thursday’s shooting.

In 2022, Stines was listed as a defendant in a lawsuit against one of his deputies.

Former Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields pleaded guilty to raping a woman who was under house arrest and under his supervision.

According to court documents, the victim claims Deputy Fields proposed a plea deal when she was unable to pay for her ankle monitor. The plaintiff claims Deputy Fields removed her ankle monitor and during subsequent meetings at the Letcher County Courthouse, forcibly had sex with her and threatened her with arrest.

The plaintiff in that case also sued Sheriff Stines, claiming that Deputy Fields was negligent in his hiring, training and supervision.

Stines was questioned on Monday. It is unclear whether the case has any connection to Thursday’s shooting.

For more information and updates on the Letcher County shooting, click here.