Residents of a tiny Appalachian town struggled Friday to cope with a shooting involving two of its most prominent citizens: a judge who was gunned down

A small, tight-knit southeast Kentucky community has been reeling after their sheriff was arrested for the killing of a prominent district judge in his chambers Thursday – spurring residents to wonder what could have triggered the shooting and prompting calls for better courthouse security.

Whitesburg residents gathered outside of the Letcher County Veterans Memorial Museum to pray for the community after Sheriff Mickey Stines allegedly shot and killed District Judge Kevin Mullins Thursday.