CONIFER, Colo. — A teen who allegedly trespassed while searching for a place to take homecoming photos was shot in the face by a homeowner in Conifer Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, a homeowner called 911 around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday to report two trespassers on her property in the 23000 block of Pleasant Park Road. The woman also called her boyfriend and told him about the trespassers, according to the sheriff's office.
When deputies arrived, they spotted two cars on the side of Pleasant Park Road. They found a 17-year-old boy "bleeding heavily from his face," and a second boy applying pressure to his friend's wounds with a t-shirt. A man — later identified as 38-year-old Brent Metz — was with the two boys.
Before he was taken to the hospital, the teen told authorities that he and his friend drove to the property to see if they could use the location to take homecoming pictures. According to JCSO, the boys said they parked at the gate, jumped the fence and walked up the driveway to ask the homeowner for permission to use their property. No one appeared to be at the home, so the two walked around the property trying to find the homeowner.
The sheriff's office said the boys returned to their car and began writing a note to the homeowner when a man they had never seen before pulled up next to them, got out of his truck and fired a round through the windshield. The teen driver was struck in the face.
The teen identified Metz as the shooter. The sheriff's office said deputies found the weapon used in the shooting inside Metz's truck.
The sheriff's office confirmed that Metz also owned the home. He was arrested for first-degree assault, two counts of felony 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. Property records show he also owns a home in Mountain View under Hartwood Ranch LLC.
John Beltrone, the Mountain View town administrator, said the town "does not have any comments or statements at this time" regarding the incident.
Based on the preliminary facts of the case, civil rights and criminal defense attorney Tyrone Glover said it's a situation the boys should have never ended up in.
"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," said Glover.
Colorado has a "Make My Day" law, which allows you to use deadly force against an intruder inside your home. However, the law does not apply to your yard or the area outside of your property, Glover said.
"Unless there was a threat of serious bodily injury — maybe there was, we don't necessarily know at this point — but the facts are as, you know, JeffCo has said. I don't see any excuse," said Glover.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.