Who shot Craig Greenberg? Louisville mayoral candidate survives assassination attempt
Craig Greenberg, a Democratic candidate for Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky survived a shooting attack on February 14, 2022. According to reports, a male shooter walked into Greenberg's campaign office in the city and fired off multiple shots, but miraculously never hit anyone. He has since been taken into arrest, with an investigation opened into the incident.
The dramatic attack is just the latest, as violence against politicians ramps up in recent months. In October 2020, 13 people were charged over a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In June 2020, Wisconsin senator Tim Carpenter was kicked in the head after violent protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol. In June 2021, former Mississippi lawmaker Ashley Henley was mysteriously found shot to death.
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These are just some of the many examples over the past few years of violence against current, former, and future elected officials. It's unclear what exactly has prompted the surge in violence, but many believe it to be a result of loosening gun laws, "woke" reforms to the criminal justice system and the increasingly violent rhetoric of Donald Trump and other politicians.
Who shot Craig Greenberg?
A native of Louisville and avid runner, Greenberg is a former corporate attorney and manager of Kentucky's Commonwealth Seed Capital LLC. He is now campaigning for Mayor as a Democrat. Reportedly, he is Jewish, but police are unclear if his faith played any part in what is now being called an assassination attempt. The shooter has since been identified as local activist Quintez Brown.
The 21-year-old is a former University of Louisville student, who was the opinion editor for the Cardinal during his time at university. From there, he went on to intern at the Courier-Journal, where he also wrote multiple opinion columns on race relations. In the summer of 2020, Brown was reportedly a key figure behind the Black Lives Matter protests in Louisville. Interestingly, Brown also worked with the University of Louisville's Youth Violence Prevention Research Center.
Brown is also listed as the founder of From Fields to Arena, a group that provides political education and violence prevention training to youths engaged in hip-hop and athletics. It is believed Brown suffers from some mental health conditions, but it is not clear what exactly it is. He briefly went missing in June 2021, sparking a city-wide search for him that concluded 11 days later. "Through this experience, it has been evident that the institutions in Louisville are ill-equipped to support families and people in these situations," his family said at the time. Recently, Brown announced plans to run for Metro Council's District 5 seat as an independent candidate.
'I am blessed' says Greenberg
On February 14, Greenberg and his staff were at the campaign headquarters when Brown burst in and fired multiple shots. Miraculously, not one shot found its target of Greenberg, but one bullet did "graze" his clothing. Greenberg was the intended target, police confirmed, but so far a reason is to be ascertained. The Democrat was safely ushered away by the staff, while Brown bolted.
Brown was later apprehended by police less than half a mile later, carrying a loaded 9mm magazine in his pocket and the Glock handgun in a bag. He has now been charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment for his attempt on Greenberg's life. At a news conference after the incident, Greenberg said, "I am blessed. My team is blessed. No one was physically injured today... We are shaken, but safe."
He also added that Brown "pulled out a gun, aimed directly at me, and began shooting." Governor Andy Beshear has weighed in, and called the shooting "absolutely wrong and is way, way, way over the line." Other politicians and candidates have also denounced the shooting.