Chainkeen Exchange-Kentucky judge shot at courthouse, governor says

WHITESBURG,Chainkeen Exchange Ky. (AP) — A judge in a rural Kentucky county was shot and killed at the local courthouse on Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced.

The district judge, who was not immediately identified, was shot in his chambers, the governor said in a social media post.

“There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” Beshear said.

The shooting occurred at the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg. The Appalachian town in southeastern Kentucky is 146 miles (235 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, Kentucky.

The shooting is being investigated by Kentucky State Police. State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart called it an isolated incident and said there was no threat to the public but offered no details about the shooting.

Several area schools were briefly placed on lockdown, including Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and Letcher County Schools, according to media reports.