The aspiring politician charged with trying to shoot a Kentucky mayoral candidate has been an advocate for “common-sense” gun control — and appeared at the “March for Our Lives” rally that followed the Parkland, Florida, shooting, video shows.
Quintez Brown, who allegedly fired multiple shots Monday inside the Louisville office of mayoral hopeful Craig Greenberg, was among tens of thousands of young people at the rally in Washington, DC, in March 2018 after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School.
“Being here with all these other students, I’m not only showing my support, I’m also showing the nation that this is not just, you know, a white student issue,” Brown, then 17, said in an interview with correspondent Joy Reid during MSNBC’s coverage of the demonstration.
Brown, who was then attending a Louisville high school, heaped praise on David Hogg, who survived the massacre at the Parkland high school and later went on to become a prominent gun control activist.
“Yes, I love him,” Brown said in reference to Hogg.
Moments later, the teen said he no longer felt safe at school due to rampant shootings.
“Honestly, now it’s very hard to feel safe at school, but where I come from, I feel less safe in my community,” Brown said. “This is a gun violence issue.”
Gunfire can erupt “everywhere” at any given time, Brown said, including in churches or in clubs.
At school, “I feel like I’m always in a war zone,” Brown told Reid.
Brown then called on lawmakers to tackle the issue with “common-sense gun reform,” including a ban on assault rifles.
He appeared in court Tuesday on charges of attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment in Monday’s shooting. A judge set his bond at $100,000 and ordered him to stay away from Greenberg, who is running as a Democrat.
Greenberg was not wounded, but a round allegedly fired by Brown grazed his clothing before he and staffers were ushered out of the building, police said Monday.
Brown announced in December that he was running to represent District 5 for Louisville’s Metro Council.
He is currently a senior at the University of Louisville, where he is a political science major, according to the university’s news page.
In a student spotlight, Brown described how he got the opportunity to meet former President Barack Obama in 2019 during a two-day workshop through the Obama Foundation.
“I was able to meet and speak to President Barack Obama. I shook his hand, looked him in the eye, and told him my name and where I came from,” Brown said.
Brown is also a former intern and editorial columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, according to the newspaper.
An organizer for Black Lives Matter Louisville told WHAS the Louisville Community Bail Fund plans to post bond for Brown Wednesday.
Chanelle Helm said BLM Louisville wants to provide Brown — who has reportedly been linked to the group — mental health resources once he’s released. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday.
Attorney Rob Eggert told the Courier-Journal Tuesday Brown had dealt with “mental and emotional issues” prior to the shooting.
“This is not a hate crime — it is a mental health case,” Eggert said.
Greenberg, meanwhile, said he “felt very grateful” to be alive Tuesday.
“I love you Louisville,” he tweeted. “Let’s move forward together.”
