Police said Tuesday that a candidate for Louisville’s metro council has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly opening fire on a mayoral candidate whose shirt was grazed by a bullet in his campaign headquarters.
Quintez Brown, 21, is also charged with four counts of wanton endangerment, according to Louisville police spokesperson Aaron Ellis. Brown entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment on Tuesday, and his bond was set at $100,000. A judge barred him from contacting the alleged victim, Craig Greenberg, a Democrat running for mayor of Louisville, or Greenberg’s campaign staff.
According to police, Brown appears to have acted alone, and the motive is still being investigated.
Following a previous incident last year in which Brown briefly went missing, his family expressed concern about his mental health. According to news reports, Brown’s lawyer stated during his arraignment on Tuesday that he would undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Brown, a social justice activist running as an independent for city council, has campaigned alongside a group of candidates who are opposed to projects that they believe will exacerbate gentrification in Kentucky’s largest city.
Greenberg, the apparent target of Monday’s shooting, has promoted his experience at the heart of the city’s revitalization efforts and assisted in the drafting of legislation promoting development in Louisville’s predominantly Black west side.
Greenberg said he was with four colleagues at his campaign headquarters when a man appeared in the doorway and began firing multiple rounds.
“When we approached him, he pulled out a gun, aimed directly at me, and started shooting,” Greenberg explained. “Despite the fact that one bullet grazed my sweater and shirt, no one was physically harmed.””
One employee was able to close the door, which they had barricaded with “tables and desks, “He claimed that the suspect fled.
According to the arrest report, Brown was apprehended a short time later, less than a half-mile from the scene, with a loaded 9mm magazine in his pants pocket and a drawstring bag containing a handgun and additional handgun magazines.
“Today isn’t the day for politics, but it’s not lost on me that the violence my staff and I witnessed today is all too common in our city.” “Too many Louisville families have been traumatized by gun violence,” Greenberg said on Monday. Brown, a former Courier Journal intern and editorial columnist, has been active on social media, tweeting and retweeting comments about social justice issues. In a recent post, Brown depicted the faces of several young Black men killed by gun violence in Louisville, writing, “This is our reality.” “All of these kids have left.”
“Gun violence reveals the interconnected nature of our reality,” Brown wrote on his Facebook page. “Whatever affects one directly affects everyone indirectly.” Especially in our segregated environment.”
Greenberg has amassed a sizable fundraising advantage in the Democratic-leaning city’s crowded race to replace outgoing Mayor Greg Fischer. Greenberg, a Harvard-educated lawyer, helped found the Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotels, which has grown to over 1,100 employees. The company is credited with revitalizing Main Street in downtown Louisville as well as other urban neighborhoods across the country.
Brown went missing for about two weeks last summer. After he was discovered safe, his parents issued a statement requesting patience and privacy while they attended to “Quintez’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs,” according to the Courier Journal.
