Father of YSU player Ma'lik Richmond is killed after shooting at Steubenville judge

Staff/wire report

STEUBENVILLE

Editor's note: The article previously referred to Nathaniel Richmond as "Nathaniel Richardson."

The suspect in a Monday morning shooting that left a Jefferson County judge wounded – and the shooter dead – is identified as Nathaniel Richmond by Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin.

Richmond is the father of Ma’lik Richmond, the Youngstown State University football player who was found delinquent in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl as a high school football player in Steubenville in 2012.

Police spokesmen said two individuals in a car arrived at the Jefferson County Courthouse just after 7 a.m. Richmond purportedly left the car and fired five shots at the judge, wounding him.

Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr., 65, shot back with his own firearm, and a nearby probation officer also fired at Richmond. Police said Richmond was shot several times and died.

Ma’lik Richmond was moved into the care of legal guardians after being removed from his parents’ custody when he was 8, spending two years with legal guardians before returning to his home. In an interview with CNN after Ma’lik Richmond’s conviction, Nathaniel Richmond admitted that he “hadn’t been around” during the early years of Ma’lik’s life.

YSU President Jim Tressel offered his condolences to those impacted by the incident.

“It’s a horrible situation,” Tressel said. “I can’t even imagine the impact this will have on so many individuals. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.”

According to court records, Judge Bruzzese was the original judge who determined that a visiting judge should be appointed to oversee the case against Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays when they were accused of raping an unconscious 16-year-old girl in 2012.

A visiting judge from Hamilton County and not Judge Bruzzese handled the vast majority of the Steubenville rape case. Hanlin says authorities aren’t aware of a connection between the rape case and the shooting.

Judge Bruzzese also presided over a wrongful death case in which Nathaniel Richmond was the plantiff against the Jefferson County Metropolitan Housing Authority. The case, filed in April, involved Richmond’s mother, Mae Etta Richmond, and a hearing in the case was scheduled for Aug. 28.

Whether this case or the case involving his son’s conviction played any part in his motivations for the shooting is currently unknown.

Judge Bruzzese was flown to Pittsburgh to receive treatment. The Associated Press reported that Judge Bruzzese underwent emergency surgery after the shooting and is recovering in stable condition.

A police spokesman said the individual driving the car Richmond used to arrive at the courthouse is not being treated as a suspect at this time. The individual purportedly told police he and Richmond had been drinking the night before and didn’t mention any plan to assault the judge, stating only that he had to be at the court in the morning.