Judge shot by father of convict in rape case

An Ohio judge was shot and wounded outside his courthouse Monday by the father of Ma’lik Richmond, one of two young men convicted in a rape case in 2013 that garnered national attention.

Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was ambushed as he walked from his car but managed to fire off five rounds from his own gun before a probation officer stepped in and shot and killed the suspect.

The 65-year-old judge, who sits on the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas, was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, where he underwent surgery. Republican Gov. John Kasich said he was told Bruzzese was expected to survive.

Authorities identified the gunman as Nathaniel “Nate” Richmond. His son Ma’lik, who was 16 at the time, served about 10 months in a juvenile facility after being convicted with another Steubenville High School football player of raping a 16-year-old girl during an all-night party in 2012.

The charges were brought after students talked about the incident in a YouTube video and texted naked photos of the girl to each other.

Judge Joseph Corabi, one of Bruzzese’s colleagues, said the attack must have been intentional. He and the county’s two other judges park in reserved spots next to the courthouse. “Everyone knows who parks there,” he said. “He was clearly an intended target.” Corabi characterized his colleague as fair, hardworking and a “tough son of a gun.”

Calling the attack a “cowardly ambush,” Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said the attack “reminds us all of the very real potential for violence against all judges.”