The Steubenville rape case set the nation on edge when football players from the local high school were put on trial for raping a 16-year-old girl. The case drew national scorn because it appeared that local officials attempted to cover up the crime in favor of the football squad. A boy named Ma'Lik Richmond was sentenced to time in juvenile detention, and he is now on the Youngstown State football team. His father Nate shot Judge Joseph Bruzzese, and there is no clear reason why.
Judge Bruzzese did not hear the case
The judge shot outside the courthouse was not presiding over the case that Richmond's son was involved with.
The judge was merely targeted because he was a legal counsel who was entering the building. People have been reported as saying that he must have been a target because the parking spaces for court staff are marked. The assailant could have easily picked out the judge, targeted him, and taken his shot.
The assailant was shot
A Parole Officer opened fire on the elder Richmond, and he was killed on the scene. There was a man in a car nearby who was taken into custody, and it appears that the Richmond family's saga of torment is not yet over. The younger Richmand is not allowed to participate with the Youngstown football team because of the uproar over the team taking him on, and he must now deal with the death of his father.
Diligence in public safety
Local officials have asked court staff to be as safe as possible, and it is apparent that there are lingering feelings over the rape case and others like it. There are many reasons why people are upset with government officials, and it is hard to judge when they will take out those frustrations on real people.
The rape case has been over for some time, and it is unclear why Mr. Richmond chose this moment to lash out, but that may be nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.
Greater support for families
There are many people who need more support, and people that were involved in cases similar to this, and there are many people who may look at this case because of the way it tragically ended.
Judge Brazzese was not killed, and he was able to fire shots back at his attacker. He may need time to recover, but he will be alright. The greater question for people who are following this case is: How can we manage assault cases such as this? It makes one wonder how the case was handled, why the anger festered, and why the shooting occurred.
