CNN
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Maryland State Police troopers have been “dispatched to protect other judges” after a circuit court judge was killed Thursday night, CNN affiliate WJLA reported.
Judge Andrew Wilkinson was killed in an apparent shooting in the northern Maryland city of Hagerstown, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to a report of a shooting around 8 p.m. and found Wilkinson in a residential driveway suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said.
The judge was taken to a medical facility where he later died, according to the sheriff’s office.
As the investigation unfolds, “Maryland State Troopers are being dispatched to protect other judges,” WJLA reported.
CNN has reached out to Maryland State Police for more information.
The sheriff’s office said it plans to hold a news conference to share more details about the ongoing investigation, but it is unclear when the event will be held.
Born in Agana, Guam, Wilkinson had been an associate judge for the Washington County Circuit Court since January 2020, according to his court biography.
Neil C. Parrott, a former delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates, mourned Wilkinson as a well-liked and respected member of the community with “a contagious smile.”
“Judge Wilkinson was an exceptional judge and was a pillar in our community,” Parrott said in a statement. “The events tonight are catastrophic for Washington County, for Maryland, and for our justice system. Judge Wilkinson served faithfully and will be severely missed.”
