Thank God he was carrying

 All he was trying to do was go to work. In the minutes that ticked by in the 8 a.m. hour on Monday morning, Judge Joseph J. Bruzzese Jr. was walking through the narrow alley in the shadow of the Jefferson County courthouse when a man got out of his car in the nearby bank parking lot and opened fire.

Police say Bruzzese returned fire, and a nearby probation officer stepped in and ultimately killed the suspect. Another man who was with the attacker, sitting in the car with him, was taken into custody.

The majestic Jefferson County courthouse on Market Street stood silent the rest of the day -- the two Corinthian columns support a pediment with a statue of Lady Justice; she stood brilliantly and stared out over the city of roughly 18,000 souls.

Given the odd shade of the skies due to the eclipse, the scene was disquieting. In an emotional press conference hours later, Jefferson County Sheriff Fred J. Abdalla told reporters that Bruzzese drew a gun and fired at least five rounds at the alleged shooter. "This individual laid in wait for our judge," Abdalla said, his voice wavering as he tears filled his eyes. "It just hurts. First thing on Monday morning, you have a judge shot in front of his courthouse. ... This was an ambush and an attempted murder on our judge."

Thank God Bruzzese was armed; thank God he had a conceal carry permit. If not, Abdalla would likely have been holding a press conference about a tragic ending for the judge.

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