Kentucky sheriff killed judge in his chambers following an argument, police say.

Investigators are trying to determine why a Kentucky sheriff allegedly shot and killed a district judge after they argued inside the judge’s chambers, according to Kentucky State Police.

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was found around 3 p.m. Thursday with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a Thursday evening news conference.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, — whose role made him responsible for judges’ personal security — shot Mullins after an argument inside the judge’s chambers, a preliminary police investigation revealed. Stines is now facing a first-degree murder charge, state police said. CNN is trying to determine whether Stines has an attorney.

Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was arrested at the scene without incident on Thursday, authorities said. He is cooperating with authorities, Gayheart said. It is unclear who will take over as the county sheriff following the arrest of Stines, who had been sheriff for about eight years.

There are cameras inside the building and all witnesses will be interviewed, he said.

“This community is small in nature, and we’re all shook,” Gayheart said.

The killing came less than two weeks after southeast Kentucky was rocked by a shooting at an interstate that wounded five people in Laurel County. And just three days ago, a Russell County deputy was killed in the line of duty, officials said.

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

While other people were in the building when Mullins was shot, no one else was inside the judge’s chambers and no other injuries were reported. There’s no threat to the public, Gayheart added.