A gunman ambushed a judge outside his Ohio courthouse, and the judge returned fire with a probation officer, killing the attacker.
The dead attacker was identified as Nathaniel Richmond, the father of a teenage boy found guilty in a high-profile 2013 rape case.
The judge, Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr., was taken into surgery and expected to survive the Monday shooting attack. The judge reportedly had nothing to do with the rape case, making the gunman’s motivation unclear to local officials.
Republican Rep. Bill Johnson, who represents Ohio’s 6th District where the shooting occurred, said in a Facebook post he was “very saddened and alarmed” by the attack.
“From the shootings at the congressional baseball practice, to today’s tragic shooting, public officials are increasingly under assault,” Johnson said. “Public service shouldn’t be a dangerous occupation, but it all too often is. I’ll be praying for Judge Bruzzese’s recovery.”
