A judge in a rural Kentucky county was shot and killed in his courthouse chambers Thursday, and the local sheriff was charged with murder, police said.

The preliminary investigation indicates Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police.

Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident.

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was "shocked by this act of violence" and that the court system was "shaken by this news."

Letcher County's judge-executive signed an order closing the county courthouse on Friday.

The courthouse is in Whitesburg, which is 235 kilometres southeast of Lexington, Ky.

Mullins, 54, was hit multiple times in the shooting, Kentucky State Police said. Stines, 43, was charged with one count of first-degree murder. The investigation is continuing, police said.

'Too much violence in this world'

Responding to the shooting, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a social media post: "There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow."

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will collaborate with a commonwealth's attorney in the region as special prosecutors in the criminal case. "We will fully investigate and pursue justice," Coleman said on social media.

Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former governor Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year.

Mullins was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment, according to a program for a drug summit he spoke at in 2022.

He also helped develop a program called Addiction Recovery Care to offer peer support services in the courthouse. The program was adopted in at least 50 counties in Kentucky.

Mullins also served as a founding member of the Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts Leadership Team.