Judge Andrew Wilkinson’s fatal shooting in Maryland is under investigation. Now authorities are searching for answers — and protecting other judges

CNN
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A Maryland judge has been gunned down in a driveway, and police are scrambling to find answers about whoever killed him.

While the investigation continues, authorities have been dispatched to protect other judges in the state.

Judge Andrew Wilkinson was killed Thursday night 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 died, according to the sheriff’s office. CNN has reached out to Maryland State Police for more information.

Now, Maryland State Police troopers have been “dispatched to protect other judges,” CNN affiliate WJLA reported.

The sheriff’s office plans to hold a news conference to share more details about the ongoing investigation, it said.

Born in Agana, Guam, Wilkinson had been an associate judge for the Washington County Circuit Court since January 2020, according to his court biography.

He was a well-liked and respected member of the community with “a contagious smile,” wrote Neil C. Parrott, a former delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates.

“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.”