A Kentucky sheriff allegedly shot a judge early Thursday afternoon. Here's a look at the motive behind the Letcher County shooting.

A sheriff charged with murder in the shooting of a rural Kentucky judge in his courthouse chambers is accused in a federal lawsuit of ignoring abuse by one of his deputies, who later pleaded guilty to forcing a woman to have sex in the same judge’s chambers.

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,