LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Federal prosecutors asked a judge to order a psychiatric examination of activist Quintez Brown to determine if he was insane when he allegedly attempted to shoot then-mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg, according to newly filed court documents.

The request, which is also seeking to find out whether Brown has any mental health issues, comes about two weeks after Brown's defense attorneys revealed they would use an insanity defense at his trial.

Brown's attorneys plan to present expert testimony that he suffers from "a serious mental illness involving a major mood disorder and psychosis," according to the motion filed in U.S. District Court in Louisville on Wednesday.

Given this testimony, federal prosecutors argue the state is entitled to its own psychological evaluation of Brown to potentially rebut those claims. Brown could be acquitted if a jury finds that he was mentally unable to understand he was committing a crime.

No trial date has been set. Brown's next court hearing is scheduled for May 2.

One of Brown's attorney's, Rob Eggert, has said he has "serious mental issues."

On March 3, defense attorneys filed a motion of their intention to assert a defense of insanity at the time of the alleged defense.

Prosecutors have asked that Brown be committed to the custody of the Attorney General's Office for placement in a psychiatric facility.

Brown's motion for bond was denied and he will be in custody until his trial. 

Brown, 22, is charged with interfering with a federally protected right, discharging a firearm during a violent crime and attempting to kill a candidate for elected office. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. He faces a possible life in prison sentence.

Brown is also charged in state court with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment.

He was arrested Feb. 14, 2022 shortly after police said he used a 9 mm Glock to fire shots into Greenberg's campaign office in the Butchertown Market on Story Avenue.

No one in Greenberg's campaign office was injured, but he was grazed by a bullet that left a hole in the sweater he was wearing.

Prosecutors argued Brown had a "plan of action" starting in January of last year when he purchased a gun. On Jan. 22, he practiced shooting at a gun range in Indiana, they said.

In February, Brown looked online to find where Greenberg lived and where his campaign office was located.

On Feb. 13, Brown went to Greenberg's home with a gun, but it jammed when he put a bullet in backward, prosecutors alleged. He looked online how to fix it and if there was a place to buy another gun nearby before giving up and going home.

The next morning, as soon as a pawn shop opened downtown, Brown bought another gun and went to Greenberg's office, according to the prosecution.

Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.