A Kentucky sheriff has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a judge in court

A Kentucky sheriff has been arrested after he shot and killed a judge in his cell, police said.

District Judge Kevin Mullins died at the scene after being shot multiple times at the Letcher County Courthouse, Kentucky State Police said.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, has been charged with murder.

The shooting happened on Thursday after an argument inside the courthouse, police said, but did not disclose the reason.

Officials say Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times around 2:00 p.m. local time Thursday in Whitesburg, Kentucky, about 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Lexington.

Sheriff Stines was arrested at the scene without incident, Kentucky State Police said. Police have not disclosed the nature of the altercation before the shooting.

The state’s attorney general, Russell Coleman, said in a post on X, which was previously on Twitter, that his office would “fully investigate and pursue justice”.

In a social media post announcing Judge Mullins’ death Thursday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said: “There is too much violence in this world, and I pray that there is a path to a better tomorrow.”