PHOENIX — A school board candidate who caused an uproar when he misidentified the gunman in last week’s Westgate shooting as a “left-wing LGBTQ” college student has quit the race.
Scott Weinberg announced on Facebook on Tuesday that he is dropping his campaign for Kyrene School District Governing Board, which covers schools in several Phoenix suburbs.
All campaign contributions will be refunded. A 20-year-old man later identified as Armando JR Hernandez went to the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale last Wednesday and wounded three people with an assault rifle, according to police.
Weinberg tweeted an Arizona State University student who happened to have the exact same name was the shooter.
Weinberg's Facebook page featured a post that read, "I have decided to withdraw from the Kyrene School District Governing Board race in light of the recent Westgate controversy. In addition to my general apology, I want to apologize directly to the young man I unintentially misidentified, Arizona State University, The Human Rights Campaign, and the LGBTQ community at large. All campaign contributions will be returned and I will be taking a step back from politics to focus on my family and serving my community in more productive ways."
