Uninjured but rattled, a mayoral candidate in Louisville, Ky., said that he was the target of a gunshot inside his campaign headquarters on Monday. He was not hurt, but his sweater had a bullet hole in the back from whence he was shot.
Craig Greenberg, the candidate, claimed he and four other members of his campaign team were at a morning meeting near downtown when a guy stepped in and started shooting.
Mr. Greenberg said that the shooter was standing in the doorway while he discharged his handgun numerous times, and a member of his campaign crew pushed the door shut before assisting in the construction of a barrier made of tables and desks, he claimed.
Quintez Brown, 21, was apprehended outside the building by police officers who reacted to the situation. Mr. Brown was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder as well as four charges of reckless endangerment, according to a police department spokesperson.
Mr. Brown, according to local news media agencies, is a Black Lives Matter activist who was active in demonstrations after the death of Breonna Taylor by municipal police officers during a botched narcotics search in her residence in March 2020. The Courier-Journal published his writings on race and social justice, which may be found here.
Mr. Brown declared his intention to run for a Metro Council seat in December, but according to county records, he did not complete his paperwork by the deadline of last month’s deadline.
The assailant was not identified by Mr. Greenberg, who refused to comment because of the ongoing police investigation, and it was unclear why he had been singled out.
According to Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metro Police Department, possible reasons for the attack include Mr. Greenberg’s mayoral candidacy or his Jewish identity. However, she added that it was also possible that the police were “dealing with someone who has mental issues or is venomous” during a news conference.
Greenberg, a Democratic candidate, is in a tight contest to succeed Mayor Greg Fischer, also a Democrat, who is unable to compete for re-election since he is restricted to three terms. The party primary competitions will take place in May, with the general election taking place in November.
He is a businessman who has served as the head of a boutique hotel chain and as a member of the University of Louisville’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Greenberg is married with two children. At least six members of the 26-member Metro Council, including the council’s president, have expressed support for him.
The subject of public safety is the most prominent on Mr. Greenberg’s campaign website. One of the goals outlined in an eight-page plan is to add roughly 300 police officers and allocate more resources toward combating violent crime and keeping illicit firearms off the streets, among other things.
Louisville, like many other big cities, has seen an uptick in violent crime as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. With 173 murders in 2020, the city established a new record, which it subsequently shattered with 188 homicides the following year. According to the Police Department, there have been 18 murders this year until February 6, which is somewhat lower than the previous year’s total.
The Metropolitan Police Department has been under fire for years, most recently when police shot and murdered Ms. Taylor in her home. During demonstrations over Ms. Taylor’s murder, policemen shot and killed a restaurant owner, prompting the firing of the police chief in charge at the time.
On Monday, Mr. Greenberg expressed his gratitude to the police department for its quick reaction to the incident and for its ongoing efforts to keep the city secure throughout the day. He expressed a desire to return home and embrace his wife and two boys, stopping briefly to gather his thoughts.
