Quintez Brown pleads guilty to federal charges in attempted shooting of Craig Greenberg

More than two years after shots rang out at then-mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg’s campaign office in Butchertown, 23-year-old Quintez Brown pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges in connection with the shooting.

Brown — a well-known activist at the time of the incident and a former Courier Journal editorial intern — has been in custody since federal charges were filed in April 2022. His defense switched his plea after months of speculation that his attorneys would use an insanity defense at trial.

As part of the plea agreement, federal prosecutors have proposed a sentence between 180 to 217 months — or 15 to 18 years. Sentencing will take place Oct. 21.

Brown potentially faced between 10 years and life in prison on the charges of interference with federally protected activities along with use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, with no option for parole.

At the plea change hearing, Brown's defense team told U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton they have also worked on a proposed plea agreement with state prosecutors for a concurrent sentence of 10 years for his state court charges.

“I respect our legal system and accept this result," Greenberg said in a statement following the guilty plea. "I’m relieved the other victims and all of our families won’t have to relive that horrific experience during a trial. Violence has no place in our political world. As a fortunate survivor, I will continue to work with strong resolve to end gun violence in our city and country. Thank you to the dedicated public servants in the US Attorney’s office, FBI, LMPD and other agencies who work every day to make our city and country safer.”

Here's what to know about the high-profile 2022 shooting:

The 2022 shooting at Craig Greenberg's campaign office

Brown was arrested Feb. 14, 2022, shortly after police say he used a 9mm Glock to fire shots into Greenberg's campaign office in the Butchertown Market on Story Avenue. None of the five people inside were injured, but one shot tore through Greenberg’s sweater.

A photo of the torn sweater later was used in a campaign ad where Greenberg, who would win the Democratic primary months later and take office in 2023, promoted his public safety plan. To prosecutors, the image illustrated just how close the then-candidate had come to catastrophe.

Greenberg said the sweater was torn after one bullet came “so close that it grazed my sweater and shirt” at a press conference in the aftermath of the shooting. But in a past motion, Brown's defense team called for testimony “suggesting attribution of the hole in (Greenberg’s) sweater to a bullet” to be barred from a potential trial, as his lawyers argued no evidence supported that theory.

At the hearing, Brown said he committed the shooting because Greenberg was campaigning for mayor of Louisville. As part of the plea agreement, his federal charges do not include an admission of intent to kill by Brown.

Why was Brown charged at the federal level?

Brown's initial arrest drew national attention when he was released on bail and put on home incarceration two nights after the shooting. The Louisville Community Bail Fund, a charitable bail fund, paid the required 10% of Brown's $100,000 bond to secure his release.

The release drew criticism from Greenberg, along with officials including Metro Councilman Anthony Piagentini and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who on the floor of the Senate, described the move as "the radical left (bailing) their comrade out of jail."

Defense attorney Rob Eggert pushed back later that day, arguing his client's arrest came "at the prompting of Sen. Mitch McConnell" and accusing the U.S. Attorney's Office of failing to take such action following the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor by LMPD, which sparked protests that lasted through the year and eventually led to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

Brown was indicted in federal court, with the government successfully moving for him to be detained pending trial.

What about Quintez Brown's state trial?

Brown has also been charged in Jefferson Circuit Court with one count of attempted murder and four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in connection with the shooting. He initially pleaded not guilty.

However, Brown's defense attorneys say they have worked out a proposed plea agreement with state prosecutors that would see Brown serving a concurrent sentence of 10 years.

That case's next pretrial hearing is currently set for Oct. 16.

What were the concerns about Brown's mental evaluation?

Prior to Brown's change in plea, his defense and federal prosecutors battled over whether mental health evaluations conducted on Brown with a psychiatrist retained by the defense should be admissible as evidence.

The two interviews, which are sealed, took place in November 2022 and November 2023 with psychiatrist Bhushan Agharkar. Brown's attorneys said his testimony in the two sessions supports an "insanity" and "diminished capacity" defense, which argues the defendant's mental state did not allow them to make effective decisions.

But in a pair of relatively lengthy motions, prosecutors believe the interviews, in which Brown described his alleged intent to the psychiatrist, would enable the defendant to "tell his own story without having to testify" and be subject to cross-examination, and could "serve as a conduit for inadmissible hearsay."

In the interviews, the filings say, Brown gave his account of the shooting and the events that led up to it. Prosecutors say Brown told the psychiatrist he had gone to Greenberg's office "with another intent," but "impulsively and without aiming” fired a gun into the office. Agharkar diagnosed him with “Bipolar Disorder, Type I, with Psychotic features,” and “Marijuana Use Disorder, in remission in a controlled environment" and said Brown was driven by a belief that the incident would "make the world 'pay attention.'"

At Friday's hearing, Brown said he was competent and capable of fully understanding and accepting the terms of his plea agreement.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Craig Greenberg shooting: Quintez Brown pleads guilty in federal case