A previous story here spoke of the Steubenville rape Case and a father from the case named Nate Richmond. Nate came to the courthouse to shoot a judge who did not preside over his son's case. The Honorable Joseph Bruzzese and Richmond exchanged fire, and Richmond was shot dead by a parole officer on the scene. We did not know his motives at the time, but it is appears that he was upset over a civil case involving his mother. We never know where the tension comes from, and that is why we must be careful with our brethren.
The shooting was not expected
There are many people who were shocked by the shooting at the Jefferson County Courthouse, and authorities were asking all their employees to be careful going to work. They knew that Richmond could have figured out where the judge parked, and they knew that it would have been easy for him to plan the attack. Richmond brought an accomplice, but we did not know why he was so angry with a judge who did not preside over his son's rape conviction. We know the answers now, and it paints a troubling picture.
The civil case
The civil case, that involves Richmond's mother, was not going his way, and it appears that he finally snapped. His family has been at the mercy of the criminal justice system for some time, and he may have had enough.
No one can condone what he did, but it looks as though the man had reached his breaking point. Many people have come to that point in their lives, but they often do not go out to shoot the judge in a civil trial.
We will never know his feelings
We will never know how Nate felt when he showed up at the courthouse, and we cannot stand here to cast judgement on his feelings.
He committed a horrible act that he paid the price for, and now he cannot provide for his family, support his son, or help his family through the hardest of times. We cannot see the feelings of others when we look them in the eye, and it would have been up to the friend that he brought with him to make this stop. There are many people who do not speak up when their friends are hurting, and they should say something hoping to make the world a little bit better.
We must look at ourselves and ask how we are helping those around us, and we must do so as often as possible to protect the people who sometimes cannot protect themselves.
The death of Nate Richmond is a tragedy in and of itself. I wish all the best to Judge Brazzese because no one should be attacked ever. I only wish someone had reached out to Nate.
