On Monday, August 21, Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was ambushed outside the county courthouse in Steubenville, Ohio. Nathanial “Nate” Richmond approached Judge Bruzzese and shot him several times in the abdomen from close range according to Fox News.
Fortunately, Judge Bruzzese was carrying his own weapon as was a probation officer on the scene. The severely wounded judge and probation officer returned fire together shooting Richmond three times. Richmond later died from his injuries. Authorities do not yet know if Judge Bruzzese or the probation officer fired the fatal shot, but it has been confirmed that Judge Bruzzese fire a total of five shots at Richmond.
In 2013 Richmond’s teenage son Ma’Lik was found guilty after he raped a 16-year-old girl in 2012. Ma’Lik was sentenced to a single year in prison for his crime, but Judge Bruzzese was not associated with the trial in any way according to CBS News.
There is currently no known motive for Richmond’s attack. According to CNN, Richmond is a plaintiff in a wrongful death case overseen by Judge Bruzzese.
Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla described the ambush as a “cold blooded, attempted murder on a judge” in an interview with CNN. “If there wasn’t a probation officer, this gentleman would have kept shooting until he killed the judge,” said Abdalla.
A second suspect who accompanied Richmond in a vehicle was arrested after the attack.
Judge Bruzzese was airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery. Ohio Governor John Kasich informed the press that Judge Bruzzese is expected to survive.
Watch the video below to learn more about the attack from the official press conference.