A Kentucky sheriff allegedly shot a judge early Thursday afternoon. Here's a look at the motive behind the Letcher County shooting.

A district judge is dead and a county sheriff has been arrested in connection to a fatal shooting at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

Mullins was appointed in 2009 by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and was elected in his own right a year later, according to The Mountain Eagle. He has been reelected ever since. Mullins’ death was confirmed by the current governor, Andy Beshear, son of Steve Beshear.