A Colorado teen scouting locations for a homecoming photoshoot was shot in the face on September 10th by a local town council member.
The 17-year-old told authorities that he and a friend parked on a public road and hopped a gate at a Conifer residence, 30 miles southwest of Denver, hoping to ask the owner’s permission to take homecoming photos on the property. The teens walked up the driveway and around the property but could not locate the homeowner before returning to their vehicle.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the teens were preparing to leave a note at the property when a truck pulled up and the driver, Brent Metz, got out and shot through their vehicle’s windshield striking the 17-year-old in the face.
Metz, the 38-year-old boyfriend of the homeowner had been alerted to the property by his girlfriend who was not home but saw the teens on her security system. The homeowner also notified police about a pair of trespassers and authorities were dispatched to the scene.
When officers arrived, they found the boy “bleeding heavily from his face” while his friend used a T-shirt to apply pressure to the wound.
According to the arrest report obtained by CBS, the victim did not think he was shot intentionally, stating that he heard Metz say “Oh s–t, my gun went off.” The teen also told authorities that Metz tried to help, but the other boy, a 15-year-old childhood friend, pushed him away asking why he had shot his friend.
Officers found the gun in Metz’s truck but have yet to identify the make and model.
Metz was sworn in last year as a member of Mountain View Town Council, a town with just over 500 residents. As of September 18th, his charges were lessened to second-degree assault after initially being charged with first-degree reckless conduct. First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King noted that, based on the victim’s statements to police, there is no evidence that Metz acted with extreme indifference. He faces four felony charges, including menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm.
“This underscores the risk of confronting trespassers on your property even though you may be correct in doing so. Accidents happen, and in this case, it does not appear that a self-defense claim can be made,” according to Douglas Richards of the Richards Carrington law firm in Denver, Colorado.
Officers confirmed the teens’ story, finding the written note to the property owner at the scene.
This unfortunate incident could have been avoided in a number of ways. First, never jump over anyone’s gate or fence uninvited, even with the best intentions. If a gate is closed, and there is no call box present, leave a note and hope to receive contact. Second, the gate to a property is a great place for a camera-equipped doorbell system, giving an unexpected visitor the option to attempt contact without intruding on the property. Lastly, although a confrontation of this sort comes with assorted unknowns, stepping out of a vehicle with your gun drawn may not be the best decision. If there is no imminent danger on the scene but you sense the possibility of having to use deadly force, perhaps it is a better idea to wait for the authorities to arrive. It’s important to note, while the Castle Doctrine, where in place, allows a person to defend themselves in the home for the simple act of illegally entering the home, there are virtually no states that have laws that allow property owners or someone defending a property boundary to shoot a person for simply trespassing.
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