Judge shot by father of Ohio football player convicted of rape

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man who shot and wounded a judge outside a county courthouse before being gunned down by a bailiff was the father of a high school football player who was convicted of rape in 2013, authorities said Monday.

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was shot Monday morning near the courthouse in Steubenville, across the Ohio River from West Virginia’s northern panhandle and just west of Pittsburgh.

Authorities identified the gunman as Nathaniel “Nate” Richmond, the father of Ma’Lik Richmond.

Authorities say suspect Nathaniel Richmond was fatally shot by the judge’s bailiff during the altercation. The judge also fired shots.

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-year-old girl during an alcohol-fueled party in 2012.

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

A visiting judge from Hamilton County handled the majority of the rape case.

Records show Bruzzese was overseeing a wrongfuldeath lawsuit that Nate Richmond filed in April against the Jefferson County Metropolitan Housing Authority.

A hearing on a motion by the housing authority to dismiss punitive damage claims was set for Aug. 28. Messages were left for Richmond’s attorneys.

Richmond several years ago he was arrested on various domestic violence and assault charges, court records show.

The prosecutor said Bruzzese was shoved to the ground during Monday’s attack.

DARRELL SAPP/PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Officials in Steubenville, Ohio, work the scene of Monday’s incident, in which a bailiff shot and killed the gunman.