JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Doctors believed a teen who was shot by a Jefferson County homeowner after allegedly trespassing may have a bullet fragment in his head, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Denver7.
Denver7 began following this story on Wednesday, when the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office released initial information about the case and arrest of Brent John Metz, 38.
Metz faces charges of first-degree assault, two counts of menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm and two counts of reckless endangerment. A judge set his bond at $5,000. Metz is a member of the Mountain View Town Council. He owns a home in Mountain View.
The two teen boys involved have not been named as they are juveniles.
According to the arrest affidavit, which we obtained on Thursday morning, the first Jefferson County deputy arrived at the scene around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He was responding to a report of "two unknown individuals" trespassing and walking around private property. The deputy noticed a white Audi S4 parked just south of the driveway on the east side of the road. A black GMC Sierra was facing the same direction and was pulled up to the passenger side of the Audi.
Crime
Teen searching for place to take homecoming photos shot in the face by homeowner
The deputy saw that a 17-year-old boy was "bleeding heavily from his face and had blood running down his arm," according to the affidavit and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The deputy began talking with one of the teens about what had happened, and he responded that they had been "looking for a place to take pictures and that Brent came up and shot him," the documents reads.
The deputy noted an "apparent bullet hole" in the Audi's windshield, according to the affidavit.
The deputy then approached Metz, who was at the scene and is a homeowner on the property, and asked him if he had shot a gun. Metz stated he wanted to speak to his lawyer. He said a gun was inside the GMC truck. The deputy then handcuffed Metz and put him in the backseat of the patrol car.
The deputy then asked one of the teens — it's not clear which one — to explain in greater detail what had happened. He responded that they had parked in front of the gate. The sheriff's office reported that the teens jumped the fence. They then walked up the driveway to see if they could take photos on the property, the affidavit reads.
"When no one answered the door, they returned to their car and (redacted) was going to write a note to the homeowner for their permission," the document continues. "That was when the truck pulled up and (redacted) stated the driver got out and 'he shot.'"
The teen said Metz tried to help them after the shooting.
An ambulance transported the injured teen to a hospital. Doctors told the deputy they believed a fragment of a bullet was in the teen's head.
Details about his condition are not available.
At the hospital, the deputy learned more about the two teens: They had grown up with each other. They decided to look for a place to take homecoming pictures for the weekend and initially drove the Audi around Ken Caryl Valley before going around Deer Creek Canyon. When they spotted a lake and dock on a property, they stopped and tried to contact the homeowner for permission to take photos. They walked up a driveway and knocked on the door, but nobody appeared to be home, according to the affidavit.
The teens then walked back down the long driveway and got back into the car. They planned to write a note to the homeowner asking permission when a truck pulled up, the driver got out, pulled a gun from a holster, pointed it at the Audi and shot. The Audi's windshield shattered. One of the teens said he recalled hearing Metz say, "Oh s***, my gun went off," the document reads. The teen in the passenger seat said he remembered taking off his shirt, running to the driver's side of the car, and pressing the shirt against his friend's wounds. Metz tried to help, but the teen "pushed him away and asked him why he shot his friend," the affidavit reads.
Watch Denver7's coverage from Wednesday night in the video below.
Metz is next due in court on Sept. 17 for a return filing of charges.
We spoke with civil rights and criminal defense attorney Tyrone Glover about this case to learn more about the laws surrounding trespassing and homeowners' rights.
"It seemed categorically unreasonable to me that you think you can shoot a kid in the face through a car window because they're outside of your property on the other side of the fence," Glover said.
He explained that Colorado has a "Make My Day" law, which allows you to use any degree of physical force — including deadly force — against an intruder inside your home, but that does not apply to a yard or areas outside private property. The law was established in 1985.
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