Gunman who opened fire at Ohio judge killed

The gunman who opened fire at a judge has been killed here.

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr in Ohio also returned fire at a man who ambushed him outside his courthouse, officials say.

The judge was injured, and the suspect was killed during the shootout at 8 am.

The 65-year-old judge was heading to work at a courthouse in Ohio's Steubenville when he was attacked by a solitary gunman.

The judge was shot in the stomach and chest, and was rushed to the hospital through helicopter, The Independent reported.

The local media said that the judge was taken into hospital and is in stable condition.

The suspect, who was not being named, was shot numerous times and killed.

A second man who was in a car with the attacker was taken into the custody. He was not being treated as a suspect at the time of filing this report.

Ohio Representative Bill Johnson said that he was "saddened and alarmed" to hear about the shooting.

"From the shootings at the congressional baseball practise, to today's tragic shooting, public officials are increasingly under assault," he wrote on Facebook.

"Public service shouldn't be a dangerous occupation, but it all too often is. I'll be praying for Judge Bruzzese's recovery," The Independent quoted.

Since 1997, Bruzzese has served on the Jefferson County Common Pleas Court, hearing general and domestic relations cases. He was re-elected in 2014 for another six-year term.