LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A federal judge Friday sentenced Quintez Brown to 210 months, or 17.5 years, in prison for shooting at then-mayor candidate Craig Greenberg in a room full of people in 2022.

"It is only a miracle ... that no one was hurt, possibly killed," U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton said after a four-hour sentencing hearing. "I'm grateful we are not here dealing with a worse outcome."

Brown was facing a sentence of 15 years to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty on July 19 to interfering with federally protected activities and discharging a firearm in relation to that interference. 

He will be on supervised release for five years after serving out his sentence. The victims did not request any restitution. Brown asked to continue mental health treatment while incarcerated. 

Brown, 24, had faced a possible life in prison sentence if convicted at trial.

During the sentencing, Brown repeatedly apologized to Greenberg and the four other people in the room that day, saying he did something that was "dehumanizing." 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I love you all. I'm so sorry; what I did tore us apart."

Brown told people in the packed courtroom, many of whom came to support him and speak on his behalf, that he loved them and, "I can't believe I caused all of this. ... I want us to come together and heal." 

Several people in the courtroom shouted "We love you Quintez" as he was led away. 

While Brown's defense has claimed he never meant to hurt or kill anyone, prosecutors allege that he texted his girlfriend that morning saying he wanted to be the "Equalizer," referencing a movie in which Denzel Washington plays a former Marine who kills numerous criminals.

In addition, Brown took "direct aim" at Greenberg and shot at him multiple times, twice hitting the desk were Greenberg was sitting. The wall immediately behind where Greenberg was sitting had multiple bullet holes, according to pictures of the scene.

Greenberg addressed the court, saying he didn't know how he "miraculously" survived. "I'll never forget the sounds of those gunshots fired."

Greenberg, who is now mayor, said his family lives in fear.

"Three years later, I think about the assassination attempt on my life every day," he said. "We will never be the same people we were." 

The mayor's spokesman, Kevin Trager, who was also in the room that day, also spoke to the judge and directly to Brown.

"I hope you know how lucky you are you didn't hit anyone," said Trager, who added that he has had anxiety and PTSD issues since the shooting. "I still think about that shooting every day."

Brown's attorneys maintained he was not attempting to kill or hurt anyone, though they admitted he fired a gun into Greenberg's campaign office in the Butchertown Market on Story Avenue on Feb. 14, 2022.

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.

Attorneys for Brown argued his attempt to intimate or interfere with the campaign occurred while he was going through a mental health crisis "that caused him to undertake this violent action – it was extremely aberrant behavior for Mr. Brown and he deeply regrets it," according to a sentencing memorandum.

A mitigation specialist hired by the defense wrote that Brown’s mental health problems, which began in 2020, made him suicidal and he woke up February 14, 2022, "with one mission for the day: to die. As he made his way to the Greenberg campaign headquarters, Quintez thought he wouldn’t even have to fire the gun, because the cops would show up and shoot him first."

Attorney Rob Eggert, who represented Brown, said Brown had "significant mental illness" and "the mission was to kill himself." 

But prosecutors argued Brown took his time and detailed his plans to shoot Greenberg and then tried to get away. 

According to prosecutors, Brown was angry at Greenberg, in part because Brown was opposed to the West End Tax Increment Financing, which he believed would cause gentrification of the West End. Greenberg helped write the legislation for the West End TIF.

Brown posted an image of Greenberg engulfed in flames as a "devil" on social media and later implied that Greenberg had paid for endorsements, according to the sentencing memorandum posted in U.S. District Court Friday.

Prosecutors also allege Brown became active in a Black nationalist militia group "that has coopted Jewish symbols and terminology in support of the idea that Black people are the real Jewish people," according to the court documents. Greenberg, who was elected mayor, is Jewish.

While researching Greenberg, Brown also searched for the location of Republican candidate Bill Dieruf, the former Jeffersontown mayor, prosecutors alleged.

In addition, prosecutors have argued Brown had a "plan of action" starting in January 2022 when he purchased a gun. On Jan. 22, he practiced shooting at a gun range in Indiana, they said.

In February 2022, Brown looked online to find where Greenberg lived and where his campaign office was located.

On Feb. 13, 2022, 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.

The documents entered by the defense include several letters of support written on behalf of Brown, saying that he was "a remarkable young man" who cares about his community but a mental health crisis "derailed his trajectory."

The assistant vice president of Jefferson Community and Technical College as well as members of the Louisville Urban League were among those who wrote U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton in support of Brown.

The memorandum notes that Brown is determined to receive mental health care while incarcerated and will be ready to give back to the community when he is released.

The defense also points out that this is the first time Brown has been in trouble and had been a "compassionate, thoughtful member of the community with a lot of promise for the future."

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