Letcher County Courthouse Shooting: One Person Killed, Two Injured

Police investigating incident as possible murder-suicide

Suspect identified as former employee of courthouse

One person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at the Letcher County Courthouse Tuesday morning.

The shooting occurred around 9:15 a.m. in the courthouse lobby.

The deceased is a 56-year-old man who was employed by the Letcher County Sheriff's Office and was assigned to serve as a bailiff at the courthouse for over 10 years.

The suspect, identified as 61-year-old Arvil Van Hoose of Whitesburg, was a former employee of the courthouse who had been fired in 2021.

Hoose was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The two injured victims are a 65-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man.

The woman was shot in the chest and is in critical condition.

The man was shot in the leg and is in stable condition.

The victims were transported to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for treatment.

Police are investigating the incident as a possible murder-suicide.

A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.

The Letcher County Courthouse is closed until further notice.