Man pleads guilty to federal charges in attack on Louisville mayoral candidate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A man accused of shooting at Louisville’s current mayor when he was a candidate in 2022 pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges stemming from the attack.

Quintez Brown pleaded guilty to interference with federally protected activities and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime. The courthouse was a short drive from where the attack occurred in early 2022. Brown was arrested by Louisville police shortly after the shooting.

Under the plea agreement, federal prosecutors proposed a sentence of 15 to 18 years. U.S District Judge Benjamin Beaton set sentencing for Oct. 21.

Brown answered “yes, sir” to a series of procedural questions posed to him by the judge.

Craig Greenberg, at the time a mayoral candidate, was not hit by the gunfire, but a bullet grazed his sweater. The Democrat went on to be elected mayor of Kentucky’s largest city later that year.

Following the hearing, Greenberg said he respects the legal system and accepts the plea agreement.

“I’m relieved the other victims and our families won’t have to relive that horrific experience during a trial,” he said in a statement.

Authorities have said that Greenberg was at his downtown Louisville campaign headquarters in February 2022 with four colleagues when a man appeared in the doorway and began firing multiple rounds. One staffer managed to shut the door, which they barricaded using tables and desks, and the shooter fled.

Brown was a social justice activist and former newspaper intern who was running as an independent for Louisville Metro Council.

A doctor hired by the defense to evaluate Brown concluded earlier this year that Brown has “a serious mental illness involving a major mood disorder and psychosis,” according to court records.

He was also charged in state court with attempted murder and wanton endangerment.

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