No one was injured, Greenberg added during a news conference in which he provided his account of the incident, “despite one bullet coming so close that it grazed my sweater and my shirt.”
“All of us are blessed, and I’m blessed to be standing here today with you,” he said.
Police later arrested 21-year-old Quintez Brown. He was charged with attempted murder and four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, according to a police report.
At a news conference Monday, before Brown was publicly identified by police as the suspect, Louisville Police Chief Erika Shields said investigators think Greenberg was deliberately targeted and that the gunman acted alone. She added that police were proceeding in their investigation with an “open mind” and had not determined a motive. She left open the possibility that the shooting may have been politically or religiously motivated or that the gunman might have been suffering from “mental issues.”
Officers responded to Greenberg’s campaign office around 10:15 a.m. in response to 911 calls, according to the police report. They found Brown, whom they said matched descriptions of the suspect, less than a half-mile away about 10 minutes later.
Brown was carrying a bag with a 9mm Glock pistol and a case for the gun, the police report says. He had a loaded 9mm clip in his pants pocket and additional clips in his bag, the report says. His clothes matched clothing the shooting suspect is seen wearing in surveillance video from Greenberg’s office, according to the report.
Greenberg’s clothes showed damage consistent with being hit by gunfire, police said.
Brown pleaded not guilty Tuesday via his attorney, according to video of the hearing published by Louisville TV station WLKY. The lawyer, Rob Eggert, argued against a Jefferson County prosecutor’s request for $100,000 bail, saying that the only previous incident on Brown’s police record was a speeding ticket. He also pointed to a period last summer when Brown went missing and, he said, was found on a park bench in Brooklyn.
“So while he’s an outstanding young man, I believe there’s serious mental issues at play here, and I’m going to have him evaluated immediately,” Eggert said.
Siding with prosecutors, Judge Annette Karem set Brown’s bond at $100,000. She also barred him from having any firearms and prohibited him from contacting Greenberg or his campaign staff if he posts bail.
Brown appeared in court via videoconference from the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections facility where he is being held. His next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Brown is from West Louisville and attended the University of Louisville as a political science major, according to a university article. As a freshman, Brown, who had previously worked with violence prevention groups, was selected to participate in an Obama Foundation program in which he met the former president, the article added.
Brown subsequently wrote opinion pieces for the Courier-Journal as an intern, the newspaper reportedand participated in racial justice protests in 2020. After he went missing and on July 1 was found safe, his family requested privacy “while we tend to the most immediate need, which is Quintez’s physical, mental and spiritual needs,” the Courier-Journal reported.
About five months later, Brown announced plans to seek a seat on the Louisville Metro Council.
Quintez Brown, 21, is running to represent District 5 for Louisville’s Metro Council.
“Frederick Douglass said that the youth should fight to be leaders today, because the men who run this country are sick.” – Kwame Ture pic.twitter.com/tUCjXXG2hS
— Quintez Brown – District 5 (@tez4liberation) December 15, 2021
Greenberg, an attorney and former chief executive of a small hotel chain, according to his LinkedIn profileis vying to replace Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, a Democrat who is finishing out his third and final term. Greenberg has cited public safety as his top priority and released a plan in January that called for fully funding the city’s police force, taking illegal guns off the street and providing bigger rewards to people who provide information on homicide cases. He leads in the race in fundraising, the Courier-Journal reported.
Declining to comment on the gunman’s possible motivations, Greenberg said what happened Monday gave him “new resolve” to work to end gun violence.
“It all happened so quick, but it’s a very surreal experience,” Greenberg added. “I know there are far too many other people in Louisville who have experienced that same feeling. I’m fortunate that was the first time that’s happened to me; I certainly hope it’s the last.”