According to local media reports, a sheriff shot a judge in the courthouse in a small US town in the state of Kentucky. Beforehand, an argument broke out between the two. According to initial investigations, the sheriff fired several shots at the 54-year-old district judge. After the crime, investigators arrested the 43-year-old sheriff – without incident, it was reported. No one else was injured.
It is not known what the two were arguing about. According to the local newspaper “The Mountain Eagle”, the sheriff first entered the courthouse and told the employees that he had to speak to the judge. The two then went into the judge’s office and closed the door behind them. Some time later, shots were fired. The sheriff then came out of the room with his hands raised. He was handcuffed in the foyer.
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“There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray for a path to a better future,” wrote Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on X. In the USA, fatal shootings are part of everyday life. Firearms are readily available there and are in large quantities. Larger attacks regularly lead to discussions about tightening gun laws – so far without success. A substantial tightening of gun laws in the USA has been prevented by Republicans for years.
The latest case is now being investigated, wrote US media. Recordings from cameras in the courthouse are also being evaluated. According to information from the Washington Post, around 50 people were in the courthouse in Whitesburg, a small town with around 1,600 residents, at the time of the crime on Thursday afternoon (local time).
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