Louisville mayoral candidate outraged by suspect's release

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 4:07 PM ET Feb. 17, 2022

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Louisville mayoral candidate said Thursday that he was “traumatized” by the news that the man charged with drawing a gun and firing at him earlier this week had been placed on home incarceration.

Quintez Brown, 21, was arrested and charged with attempted murder shortly after Monday’s shooting in Louisville. The Democratic candidate, Craig Greenberg, was not hit by the gunfire but said a bullet grazed his sweater.

“Our criminal justice system is clearly broken. It is nearly impossible to believe that someone can attempt murder on Monday and walk out of jail on Wednesday," Greenberg said in a statement. “If someone is struggling with a mental illness and is in custody, they should be evaluated and treated in custody. We must work together to fix this system.”

A group called the Louisville Community Bail Fund paid the $100,000 cash bond on Wednesday afternoon. Under the terms of home incarceration, Brown has been fitted with a GPS ankle monitor and is confined to his home.

Brown, a social justice activist running as an independent for Louisville’s metro council, has been charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment.

A judge has ordered Brown to have no contact with Greenberg or his campaign staff and said Brown cannot possess firearms. Brown’s lawyer said the man has “serious mental issues” and said he would undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

In a tweet, Black Lives Matter Louisville said the “guy we bailed out needed support.” Chanelle Helm, an organizer with the Louisville Community Bail Fund and member of Black Lives Matter Louisville, said the organization was worried he wouldn’t get the support he needed in the jail.

“We’re extremely concerned for anyone being held there, especially someone like Quintez (Brown) who is having mental health concerns from his family and community members,” Helm told WFPL Wednesday.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, the initial prosecutor on the case, called Brown’s release “frustrating.” O’Connell said in a prepared statement that state law calls for bond to be set in cases like Brown’s. He said prosecutors argued for and received a higher bond for Brown, an increase from $75,000 to $100,000 cash, and also requested home incarceration if Brown was released.

“However, the criteria of release should not be the ability to access a certain amount of money,” O’Connell said. “It should be the threat to the community and whether there is a history of non-appearance in court.”

O’Connell said his office has “kept the victim involved throughout the process.”

Sean Delahanty, a former Louisville criminal judge for two decades, said he felt the $100,000 cash bond for Brown was “substantial.”

“I’m sure that the judge who set the bond believed that the bond was going to keep the person in jail,” Delahanty said.

“Because how many people charged with murder have the ability to post $100,000 cash bonds? Before bail projects (existed), I would be willing to bet it was a rare occurrence.”

Delahanty said when there is a question of mental competency, there are tools the court can use to keep the defendant in custody while they undergo mental evaluations and get treatment, including having a defendant involuntarily admitted to a state facility for a period of time ahead of their trial.

Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed outrage at Brown's release in remarks on the Senate floor. He characterized the shooting as “what appears to be an assassination attempt against a Jewish mayoral candidate."

“Less than 48 hours after this activist tried to literally murder a politician, the radical left bailed their comrade out of jail," he said. “It is just jaw-dropping. The innocent people of Louisville deserve better."

Brown disappeared for about two weeks last summer. After he was found safe, his parents issued a statement asking for patience and privacy while they attended to his “physical, mental and spiritual needs.”

Louisville Police declined Thursday to comment on questions about security for Greenberg, who is continuing his campaign for mayor. An LMPD spokesman said they “do not discuss operational security matters.”

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Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.