The legal advisor for Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is urging the resignation of a sheriff who has been charged with murder following the deadly shooting of a district judge in a courthouse last week.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Beshear’s office, along with Kentucky General Counsel S. Travis Mayo, asked Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines of Letcher County to resign by the end of Friday. The correspondence indicated that under state law, Stines must resign or he will be removed from office.

“We kindly request your resignation as the Letcher County Sheriff to the Letcher County Judge/Executive by the conclusion of Friday, September 27, 2024,” the letter states. “Should you fail to resign, the Governor will proceed with your removal.”

Stines, aged 43, is alleged to have fatally shot District Judge Kevin Mullins, aged 54, on September 19 at the courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, following a dispute, according to law enforcement.

The sheriff faces a single count of murder, as stated by authorities. Stines made his initial court appearance via video on Wednesday while he remains incarcerated in Leslie County, pleads not guilty to the charges, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, part of the YSL News Network.

His next court date is scheduled for October 1 for a preliminary hearing.

The shooting has left the Whitesburg community, a small city in southeastern Kentucky near the Virginia border, in shock. Both Stines and Mullins were well-known figures in the community, as reported by The Courier-Journal.

Letcher County Commonwealth’s Attorney Matt Butler has already stated he will step back from the case due to his “close personal relationship” with Mullins and his “close professional relationship” with Stines.

Kentucky District Judge Shot Multiple Times Inside Courthouse

Authorities report that Stines shot and killed Mullins, who had served as a district judge in Whitesburg since 2009, inside his private chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse just before 3 p.m. on September 19. According to Kentucky State Police spokesperson Matt Gayheart, Mullins was found with “multiple gunshot wounds.”

Emergency responders attempted to save Mullins, but their efforts were unsuccessful, and the Letcher County Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead at the scene.

A preliminary investigation suggested that the shooting occurred after a confrontation inside the courthouse, as noted by Gayheart. Stines was detained shortly after without any issues.

Having been elected as Letcher County sheriff in 2018, Stines is currently held at the county jail, located about 50 miles east of Whitesburg. Investigators have yet to disclose a motive for the shooting.