Good thing the judge was packing!
Here are the Five Fast Facts:
1. The Judge & a Probation Officer Fired Back & Nathaniel Richmond Was Killed at the Scene
2. Bruzzese Was Ambushed as He Walked in an Alley Near the Courthouse
3. Youngstown State Recently Announced That Richmond’s Son Would Forfeit a Year of Eligibility
4. Richmond had a Criminal History & a Pending Case in the Courthouse
5. Bruzzese Has Been a Judge for Almost 20 Years & Is an ‘Avid Hunter’
Interestingly, most courthouses do not allow firearms inside. I had assumed that included judges.
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – A judge was ambushed Monday morning as he walked toward the Jefferson County Courthouse, and the judge and a probation officer returned fire, killing the suspect, officials said.
Steubenville city manager James Mavromatis said Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr. was shot as he walked outside the courthouse shortly after 8 a.m. The judge was armed and returned fire, firing at least five shots, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla. A probation officer fired an unknown number of shots. The suspect, identified as Nathaniel Richmond, fired five shots.
Bruzzese, 65, was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh and was said to be in stable condition after surgery.
Steubenville police, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI are investigating. The FBI is helping with the investigation, said Jefferson County prosecuting attorney Jane Hanlin, “because we asked them to.”
Richmond was hit three times by gunfire, the sheriff said. He is the father of Ma’lik Richmond, who was convicted in the 2012 rape of a 16-year-old girl from Weirton, W.Va. Ma’lik was a high school football player at the time. The case gained national attention after pictures from the scene were circulated on social media.