Man who shot judge is father of player convicted of rape

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — The man who shot and wounded a judge outside a county courthouse before being gunned down by a probation officer was the father of a Steubenville High School football player who was convicted of rape in 2013, authorities said Monday.

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was shot at around 8 a.m. near the courthouse in Steubenville, Ohio, just across the Ohio River from West Virginia’s northern panhandle, roughly 48 km west of Pittsburgh.

Authorities identified the gunman as Nathaniel “Nate” Richmond, the father of Ma’Lik Richmond. Ma’Lik, then 17, served about 10 months in a juvenile lockup after being convicted with another Steubenville High School football player of raping a 16-yearold girl during an alcohol-fuelled party in 2012.

The case brought international attention to the eastern Ohio city of 18,000 and led to allegations of a coverup to protect the football team.

Investigators are still looking for a motive in the shooting and haven’t found a connection to the rape case, said Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin.

A visiting judge from Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is located, handled the vast majority of the rape case.

Courthouse video on Monday shows both the judge and Nate Richmond firing about five times each, said Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla.

“Whoever thought this could happen here?” Abdalla said.

Steubenville City Manager James Mavromatis tells WTOV-TV that Bruzzese was talking after being wounded. He was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. Republican Gov. John Kasich said he was told the judge would survive.

The attack had to be intentional because people know about the reserved spots where judges park, said one of Bruzzese’s judicial colleagues.

Judge Joseph Corabi said he and the county’s two other judges park in reserved spots next to the courthouse in eastern Ohio. Judges then walk a few feet down what’s known as “Courthouse Alley” to a side entrance to the building, said Corabi, the Jefferson County juvenile and probate court judge.

“Everybody knows who parks there. That’s why it’s not an accident what happened. He was clearly an intended target,” Corabi said.

Ma’Lik Richmond is currently on the Youngstown State football team but isn’t allowed to play this season, the school said earlier this month in responding to criticism surrounding his participation. The Associated Press