Law enforcement authorities have reported that a judge from a US circuit court was shot and killed in the driveway of his Maryland home.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Judge Andrew Wilkinson, aged 52, was discovered with gunshot wounds around 8 pm local time on Thursday (1 am BST on Friday).
After being taken from his Hagerstown residence, Judge Wilkinson was moved to Meritus Medical Centre, where he tragically succumbed to the injuries that he had sustained.
State police spokesperson Elena Russo mentioned that an investigation is ongoing, leading to the deployment of state troopers overnight as a precautionary step to safeguard judges residing in Washington County.
Judge Wilkinson, who assumed the position of a circuit court judge in 2020, graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1994 and acquired his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1997, subsequently serving as a circuit court law clerk in Washington County.
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According to The Herald-Mail, at his swearing-in ceremony, Judge Wilkinson said his dedication to serving the community through his role as a judge.
‘It’s an honour and it’s humbling, and I’m happy to serve,’ he said.
Judge Wilkinson credited retired Judge Frederick C. Wright III for his role in guiding his career, highlighting how Hagerstown became an important part of their family’s journey when Judge Wright appointed his mother as a law clerk in 1983 amid their various military relocations.
Based on information from the state courts website, in Maryland, the circuit courts in each county have jurisdiction over important criminal and civil cases, including numerous appeals from the district courts at lower levels.
Situated in the panhandle of Maryland, close to the borders of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the city, with an estimated population of 44,000, lies approximately 75 miles north-west of Baltimore.