In security video that captured the courthouse slaying of a Kentucky judge, the sheriff charged in the death appears to shoot at the judge multiple times while the judge crawled on the floor, scrambling for cover.
The video, which was played in court this week, and appears to show former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines confronting Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins in Mullins’ chambers in Whitesburg on Sept. 19.
Stines last week pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge. A lawyer representing him did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Stines, 43, surrendered to authorities at the courthouse.
In the video, which does not include any audio, Stines is in the office facing Mullins, who appears to be in a robe sitting at a desk covered in paperwork with a laptop half-open.
Mullins can be seen putting both hands up shortly before Stines appears to shoot at him multiple times. Mullins falls to the ground and manages to crawl under the desk, and Stines, on his way out the door, appears to fire at him multiple times.
The video was played in court Tuesday during a court hearing for Stines.
A spokesman for the Kentucky State Police, the agency investigating the shooting, has said the shooting occurred after an argument but has not identified a possible motive.
A lawyer for Stines announced his retirement Monday after Gov. Andy Beshear threatened to remove him from his job.
The lawyer, Jeremy Bartley, said in a statement that the decision to step down was not a concession to the murder charge.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
