Gerald Greene: I was in adult entertainment store before being shot

ALBANY — State Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, who was shot in the leg during a robbery attempt on Jan. 26 in Columbus, said he had been in Foxes Adult Entertainment Store prior to being assaulted in the establishment’s back parking lot.

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but what I was doing there is nobody’s business but mine,” Greene said in an exclusive interview with The Herald on Wednesday. “I know that might sound a little strange, but I am not a perfect person, and I made a bad mistake and I am paying the price for it.”

Initial reports stated that Greene, who has served in the State House for 34 years, was shot during a holdup after he stopped at a Columbus package store while on his way home from the state capital.

Greene said the two businesses share a common parking lot.

“I was parked in the back of the Foxes store,” admitted Greene, who said he was carrying cash and checks in storm relief money for the Red Cross when he was shot. “I was going back to my car, and a man was sitting on the back steps of the building. He asked me if I had any change. I said, ‘No, I do not, I’m sorry.’ I opened the door of my car to get in, then he spun me around and said, ‘I’ll kill you right now on the spot. Give me everything you’ve got.’ He had a gun pointed right at my chest.

“My iPhone was in my hand, and I threw it to him. He went for the wallet in my front pocket, and I pushed him off – I had about $3,000 in checks made out to the Red Cross that friends in the House had given me for storm relief, and I wasn’t going to let him get his hands on that. When I resisted, he shot me in the leg and ran off. I got in my car and drove to the package shop, where I often stop to buy Lottery tickets.”

Greene was hospitalized at Midtown Medical Center in Columbus, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his left thigh and released the next morning. Greene has cooperated with police, but the suspect remains at large.

“Having that gun pointed at your chest, it’s a terrifying experience,” the veteran legislator said. “I can’t help but think about how much worse it could have been. I’m praying they catch who did this so that it doesn’t happen to someone else. The generous response from my neighbors and my church has overwhelmed and humbled me. I do have a period of recovery ahead of me, but I’m ready, willing and able to do the job that my constituents elected me to do. I don’t want any of this to distract from the serious needs faced by Southwest Georgians after the storms.”

Greene said he still has nightmares about the shooting, noting,”I have had some very long nights this past week.”

The lawmaker added he plans to resume his duties when the House returns from recess on Tuesday.