Security could not have stopped attack on judge

STEUBENVILLE --Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said no security measure could have prevented Monday's ambush shooting of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr.

Bruzzese was shot once in the abdomen by Nathaniel Richmond, 51, who was lying in wait for the judge to arrive at the courthouse on Monday morning. Bruzzese, who was in Court Alley, returned gunfire. A county probation officer also shot Richmond, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bruzzese is recovering at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital following surgery on Monday.

County Commissioner David Maple said the commissioners will be meeting with county Sheriff Fred Abdalla and county Prosecutor Jane Hanlin about discussing security issues at the county courthouse.

"The plan was to let the sheriff and prosecutor regroup and look back on Monday's event so we can look at what security we have in place and what we can add," Maple said.

Hanlin said she has thought about the incident and came to the conclusion that nothing could have been done any differently to prevent it.

Hanlin said there has been increased security at the courthouse during high-profile trials and sentencings.

"Nothing that day caught our attention," Hanlin said of the court docket for Monday. "Nothing that day showed a system failure,"

She said parking issues for the judges and prosecutor could be addressed.

She agreed with the commissioners to take a week and think about the incident before sitting down and discussing security issues.

Richmond filed a wrongful death lawsuit in April against the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority on behalf of his mother, Mae Etta Richmond, who was killed in a fire on Wellesley Avenue on April 27, 2015. The fire also took the life of Te'On Dillard, 2. JMHA attorneys had filed a motion to dismiss parts of the lawsuit. A hearing was scheduled to be heard on Monday before Bruzzese. The case has been transferred to a visiting judge.

County Commissioner Thomas Graham said he would like to see the Towers building at 500 Market St. included in the discussions.

Abdalla said there has been talk of putting a deputy at the Towers but that also would require a metal detector.

"It would be expensive but what price do you put on security," he said.

There are deputies stationed at the Job and Family Services building next door to the Towers, who could quickly respond to any incident in the Towers.

Abdalla said deputies arrive at the courthouse before the judges and can meet them when they arrive and escort them out at the end of the day.

"When people have their mind made up to do harm, they will find a way to do it," he said.

Abdalla said the public is well protected inside the courthouse.

"You just never know when something is going to happen. Anything can happen in an instant. It is a crazy world we live in," Abdalla said.

Abdalla said there are deputies and armed probation officers in the courtrooms during hearings. But a man on Aug. 9 punched a woman in the face in the magistrate's court in the courthouse during a hearing on a protection order. The man, Sean R. Cox, 23, of Pittsburgh, was immediately arrested by deputies, taken to the county jail and charged with felonious assault. His case has been bound over to the county grand jury.

One thing that has the attention of Abdalla is the number of electronic keys used by elected officials and some courthouse employees to enter the Court Alley entrance to the courthouse. He said the employees should go through the main entrance and the metal detector. He said someone could sneak into the courthouse through the Court Alley entrance as the doors are closing and may not be seen on security cameras.

Maple thanked the sheriff's department for the extra deputies at the courthouse since it reopened on Wednesday after being closed Monday and Tuesday.

"It made the employees feel safer," he said.

County Commissioner Thomas Graham said a good number of courthouse employees took advantage of the counseling services offered by Coleman Professional Services on Wednesday.

"There were people who were upset and fearful. They had so many emotions, but they were real troopers and showed up for work," Graham said.

County Commissioner Tom Gentile thanked the sheriff's department for its response to the incident on Monday. He praised Hanlin for her handling of the investigation and being a county spokesperson in front of the local and national media.

(Law can be contacted at mlaw@heraldstaronline.com.)