January 1, Activist Charged with Assassination Attempt

A 21-year-old activist was identified as a suspect in the attempted shooting Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg in Kentucky.

Authorities charged Quintez Brown with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment after Greenberg was shot at in his campaign headquarters on Monday morning.

No one was injured in the shooting, but a bullet grazed Greenberg’s sweater.

Brown, a former intern and editorial columnist for The Courier Journal, pled not guilty at his Tuesday arraignment, where a judge set his bail at $100,000.

According to a local report, speculation over Brown’s motive linked his arrest to his racial justice activism. But people who know Brown said jumping to conclusions is “irresponsible,” expressing concern about his mental state.

Rob Eggert, Brown’s attorney, said he disappeared for about two weeks last year. He was found on a park bench in New York.

“This is not a hate crime — it is a mental health case,” Eggert said.

Greenberg addressed the shooting at a press conference.

The Democratic frontrunner said he and four staff members were at a meeting in his campaign office in Louisville when a man entered the doorway about 10:15 a.m. and began shooting at him.

A staff member near the door managed to “bravely” get it shut, Greenberg said, and others moved tables in front of the door as the suspect fled.

“I’m very fortunate to have a great team of great people who responded in that way,” Greenberg said.

“Too many local families have experienced the trauma of gun violence,” he added. “Too many in Louisville were not as blessed as my team and I were today to survive.”

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Activist Quintez Brown charged in attempted shooting of Louisville mayor hopeful Greenberg