The man accused of shooting at Louisville mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg will remain in federal custody while he awaits trial. On Tuesday, a federal judge overturned a ruling earlier this week that would have allowed activist Quintez Brown to be released on house arrest.
In his decision, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton said Brown was both a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Brown is currently facing both federal and state charges related toa February 14 shooting at Greenberg’s campaign office. The Democratic candidate and four others in a room with him did not suffer injuries, though a bullet allegedly grazed Greenberg’s sweater.
Brown will remain at Grayson County Detention Center until his federal trial begins.
In the ruling, Beaton said a gun in Brown’s possession before the shooting had not yet been found and expressed uncertainty over his mental health.
“If the Court accepted the invitation to release Brown to home confinement, no set of conditions could reasonably ensure he wouldn’t again leave the state or threaten the safety of the candidate or others in the community,” Beaton wrote.
Brown’s lawyers argue he has mental health and emotional issues. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him at both the state and federal levels.
Beaton’s ruling revokes Magistrate Judge Colin H. Lindsay’s decision at an April 15 detention hearing, which would have allowed Brown to be released on house arrest to his grandmother’s residence. That decision also required Brown to seek mental health treatment and stay away from deadly weapons.
The new ruling states Brown could not be reasonably trusted to stay under house arrest, and references recently unsealed evidence showing Brown traveled via rideshare to Greenberg’s house the day before the shooting. Prosecutors argue he planned to shoot the candidate with the now-missing gun, which allegedly jammed.
“Regrettably, the facts underlying this detention determination show that level of assurance is unattainable here, given the repeated efforts to access and harm a particular victim and endanger the lives of others in the process,” Beaton wrote.
A federal grand jury indicted the 22-year-old in April for allegedly interfering with Greenberg’s mayoral campaign and using a firearm related to a violent crime. He was arrested on federal charges while under home incarceration at his grandmother’s house following his February release on bail from state charges.
At the April 15 hearing, defense attorneys argued that remaining in detention would harm Brown’s mental health. Though the magistrate judge initially approved Brown’s release, the court delayed the decision until Beaton could decide whether to uphold the ruling.
Evidence unsealed last week include Brown’s internet search history before the shooting, which show he had looked up information about Republican mayoral candidate Bill Dieruf, and how to use a Glock pistol.
