Louisville mayoral candidate uninjured after shots fired in his campaign office

(The Center Square) – Louisville police took a man into custody Monday morning after a Democratic candidate in this year’s mayoral race was shot at in his campaign headquarters.

Craig Greenberg was not injured in the incident. However, Louisville Metropolitan Police Chief Erika Shields told reporters a bullet hit a piece of his clothing.

The incident occurred at Greenberg’s campaign office in Butchertown, a district just east of downtown Louisville. Police cordoned off the area around the building for nearly two hours Monday morning.

Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Greenberg said he and four of his campaign staffers were in the office when a man approached the doorway. They greeted the individual, and Greenberg said the man then pulled a gun and started firing.

“One of my teammates was standing to the side of the door and was able to get the door slammed,” Greenberg said. “Then he and other teammates that were closer to the door just threw tables and desks to barricade us in.”

Greenberg said he then discovered a hole in the back of his sweater from the bullet that grazed him.

The candidate declined to discuss more specifics about the incident, noting the active investigation into the matter. He was also looking forward to going home to be with his family after spending all day with investigators.

While he added that he didn’t want to politicize the incident, Greenberg did offer some perspective in his 10-minute press conference.

“It’s not lost on me that the violence my staff and I experienced today is far too common in our city,” he said. “Too many Louisville families have experienced the trauma of gun violence. Too many in Louisville were not as blessed as my team and I were today to survive. Clearly, much more work needs to be done to end the senseless gun violence and make Louisville a safer place for everyone.”

After ending 2021 with a record 188 homicides, Louisville reported 17 last month and has experienced 24 straight months of at least 10 homicides.

A local attorney and businessman, Greenberg is one of eight candidates from the Democratic Party running to succeed three-term Mayor Greg Fischer.

Fischer, who cannot run for re-election due to term limits, said in a statement Monday afternoon that he was “saddened” by the attempted shooting. He also expressed relief that no one was hurt and a suspect was quickly detained.

Four Republicans have also filed for the race.

Greenberg has received significant support from party officials and is considered the heavy front-runner to win the Democratic nomination in the May 17 primary. Last week, five Democrats on the Louisville Metro Council threw their support behind him.

Shields said police received calls about the incident around 10:15 am. Moments later, officers began evacuating individuals from the building where the Greenberg campaign office is located.

The detained person was found outside of the building, she added. She declined to identify the individual and said there was no known motive yet.

“We will need to allow the investigators to do the appropriate work,” she said. “We also have no reason to believe at this time that this individual was acting anything but alone.”

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