STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — The man fatally shot after officials said he ambushed and wounded a judge had filed a wrongful death suit against the Jefferson County Housing Authority.
Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr.was shot Monday morning as he walked toward the Jefferson County Courthouse, and both the judge and a probation officer returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect, officials said. A passenger in the suspect’s car has been questioned by police.
Police identified the suspect as Nathaniel Richmond. Court files show that Mr. Richmond filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Judge Bruzzese's court in April, alleging that the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority was responsible for the death of his mother, Mae E. Richmond, in a house fire in 2015. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28 in which the judge was to consider the housing authority's motion to dismiss all punitive damages and one charge.
Mr. Richmond also 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 because pictures from the scene were circulated on social media.
Steubenville City Manager James Mavromatis said that Judge Bruzzese Jr. was shot as he walked just 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. And the suspect, identified as Nathaniel Richmond, fired five shots.
The Steubenville police, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s department and the FBI are investigating.
Mr. Richmond was hit three times by gunfire, the sheriff said.
Ms. Hanlin said authorities do not see a connection between the shooting and the rape case of Mr. Richmond’s son. “This judge had nothing to do at all with that case,” she said.
Ma’lik “never appeared in this judge’s courtroom for any reason at all.”
Mr. Richmond's car was stopped by police at approximately 4 a.m. the morning of the shooting, according to Mr. Mavromatis. Both Mr. Richmond and the unidentified passenger were in the car. No further information about the nature of the stop was immediately available.
According to Sheriff Abdalla, video footage shows a vehicle with two occupants at the scene at 7:12 a.m. The vehicle left the scene and came back around 7:30 a.m.
Judge Bruzzese was on the sidewalk on Court Street, getting ready to come up to the steps, the sheriff said. The person authorities have identified as Mr. Richmond approached him and shot him at near-point blank range in the chest and then took off running to the vehicle. It is not yet clear who fired the shots that killed the suspect, but Judge Bruzzese and a probation officer both fired their weapons.
The sheriff said there was “clear indication” that the shooter “laid in wait” for the judge to ambush him. “Thank God he’s not a good shot,” he said Monday morning. The passenger in Mr. Richmond’s vehicle has not been identified. Officials said Mr. Richmond has criminal record and was a resident of Steubenville. Sheriff Abdalla said had the probation officer not been there, “this gentleman would have kept on shooting until he killed the judge.”
Ms. Hanlin agreed that the probation officer’s actions were crucial. “In all likelihood, he probably saved the judge’s life,” she said, adding that the priority for officials was to make sure the probation officer and his family are safe.
Ms. Hanlin said Mr. Richmond is known to authorities: “There have been a number of cases involving Mr. Richmond throughout the past number of years, in this judge’s courtroom and in other judges courtrooms. Whether or not there’s a connection between any of those prior appearances in that courtroom and today’s action, we don’t know the answer to that yet.”
Mr. Mavromatis said that Judge Bruzzese was talking after being wounded. He was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, where he underwent surgery. The city manager said the judge was “doing fine.” Later in the afternoon Ms. Hanlin said that the judge was in stable condition. “We do expect him to survive” the attack, she said.
As of now, the second person in the car — who was a passenger — is not considered a suspect, the sheriff said.
“He didn’t get out,” the sheriff said, and may have been wounded in the leg by a ricochet shot. The passenger is at Trinity West Hospital and has been interviewed. He and Mr. Richmond apparently were drinking last night, the sheriff said.
“It just hurts,” the sheriff said. “First thing on a Monday morning. … You have a judge shot in front of his courthouse. And that upsets me ... This was an ambush and attempted murder on our judge.”
Sheriff Abdalla also said there have been threats of retaliation for the killing of the shooting suspect.
“I hope they don’t do that, because force will be met with force, period.”
The courthouse was closed for the day as local and state authorities helped to secure the scene. Jefferson County Commissioner Thomas Graham said the courthouse would remain closed Tuesday, pending approval from the other two commissioners. He said the courthouse has video surveillance cameras and metal detectors on the inside. ‘We may have to look into extra procedures on the outside,” he said. “We may have to escort people into the courthouse for the time being.”
Ms. Hanlin said: “We will obviously have added security at the courthouse as were working through this investigation.”
Officials said counselors will be at courthouse Tuesday for employees who may have been present or affected by the shootings.
The 65-year-old Bruzzese hears general and domestic relations cases as one of two judges serving in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court. The sheriff said that the judge is ‘avid sportsman. Hunter. Loves guns.’ He said he asked the judge to start carrying a gun years ago because there’s “nutcases out there who want retaliation.”
Judge Bruzzese has served on that court since 1997, according to Ohio Supreme Court records. He was most recently re-elected in 2014 for another six-year term.
BREAKING: A black male is taken into custody after an apparent shooting - we just got on scene - working to learn more @WTOV9 pic.twitter.com/HFs5aZzHvw
— Lauren Healy (@LaurenWTOV9) August 21, 2017
First Published August 21, 2017, 1:21pm
