Jaw-dropping new photo shows Kentucky sheriff pointing gun at judge moments before he shot him

A shocking new photo has emerged showing a Kentucky sheriff pointing a gun at a judge moments before he was shot dead.

District Court Judge Kevin Mullins died after he was shot multiple times in his chambers at Lechter County Courthouse on September 19.

His friend, local sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines, 43, has been charged with his murder after CCTV appeared to show him unleashing a hail of bullets into the 54-year-old.

He pleaded not guilty to the murder, which has stunned the small town of Whitesburg.

The jaw-dropping photo shows Mullins seated behind his desk with one hand raised as he appears to try to calm the shooter.

A shocking new photo has emerged showing a Kentucky sheriff pointing a gun at a judge moments before he was shot dead

The men were engaged in a tense exchange before Stines pulled out his weapon 

Mullins cowered as Stines pulled out his gun, leaning to one side before crouching to try to escape his fire 

 Just feet away from him, suspected killer Stines can be seen gripping his weapon and pointing it at the judges head.

Detectives are probing a potential motive, but the shooting is thought to have unfolded after Stines discovered his daughters phone number in Mullins phone.

CCTV footage played in court during a preliminary hearing Tuesday showed Stines checking his phone before making a call from the judges.

Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified that he was told the sheriff had tried to contact his daughter from both devices.

The distressing footage elicited sobs in the public gallery as it showed Mullins desperate attempts to take cover from the volley of bullets that followed.

Prosecutors said it shows Stines pumping eight shots into the judge who attempted to dive behind his desk to protect himself.

Chillingly, the shooter started to leave before stopping with his door on the handle and shoving the desk chair aside to fire a few more bullets rounds at the judge and leaving the room. 

District Court Judge Kevin Mullins,54, died after he was shot multiple times in his chambers on September 19 

Lechter County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 43, is accused of shooting his friend, District Court Judge Kevin Mullins

Stines later gave himself up without incident and was described as calm by Stamper.

As he was being arrested for the September 19 shooting, the sheriff urged the officers to treat me fair.

As DailyMail.com exclusively reported last month, just hours before the shooting, the sheriff and judge, who were longtime friends, shared an outside table at the popular Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street for lunch, only a few hundred yards from the courthouse.

The pair were lunchtime regulars together at the sports bar and on that fateful Thursday ordered their usual – both having the $13.99 wings with salad.

Everything seemed fine between them. There was no clue that anything was wrong at all, one of the staff attending them that day told DailyMail.com.

You wouldnt have guessed there was the slightest problem.

The court heard Stines had found his daughters number in Mullins phone, and had tried to call his daughter from the judges phone prior to the shooting

The sheriff wiped his eyes as he listened to testimony on Tuesday

 Police allege Stines walked into the judges outer office, told court employees he needed to speak to Mullins alone, then proceeded to shoot him once they entered the inner office.

Stines then walked out with his hands raised and surrendered to officers, who placed him in handcuffs. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Mullins was appointed to serve as a judge in the states 47th district under former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009. Stines was elected sheriff in 2018 and reelected in 2022.

The two worked together on on drug policy in the rural Kentucky county that has been badly hit by the opioid epidemic. 

Cops confirmed they are investigating a sex scandal motive among other leads in the sensational death of Mullins. 

Lurid sexual allegations about the married district judge Mullins began circulating almost immediately after his killing in the small mountain town. 

One thing undoubtedly preying on the mind of Stines, who was the 54-year-old judges bailiff before becoming sheriff in 2018, was a civil lawsuit against one of his deputies who was convicted and sentenced for rape.

In the chilling footage played in the opening minutes of his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Stines repeatedly shot Mullins, 54, as he sat behind his desk

Stines was elected sheriff in 2018 and reelected in 2022 

Stines and Mullins had worked together on drug policy in the rural Kentucky county that has been badly hit by the opioid epidemic 

The 43-year-old sheriff was accused of not properly training and supervising ex-deputy Ben Fields, who coerced a woman on home incarceration into sex for favors – ironically in Judge Mullinss chambers.

Fields got six months jail and six and a half years probation.

Stamper confirmed in court that Stines daughter has been interviewed by police. The interview took place in the presence of her mother.

Three cell phones in total are currently at a forensic lab being downloaded and will form part of the investigation.