Colorado town councilman accused of shooting teen in the face formally charged
Brent Metz, the Colorado town councilman accused of shooting a 17-year-old boy in the face last week, has been formally charged.
Metz is accused of shooting the teen who, along with his friend, say they hopped a fence to knock on a Conifer property owner's door to get permission to take high school homecoming photos. When it appeared no one was home, they went back to their car on the side of the road to write a note for the property owner.
According to an arrest report, Metz pulled up in his truck, pulled a handgun and shot the 17-year-old through the windshield of his Audi.
Metz was formally charged Tuesday with second-degree assault, two counts of menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm -- all felonies. The assault charge is a reduction in the second-degree assault charge he initially faced and a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment was dropped.
Voicemail messages were left for Metz and his attorney seeking comment on Tuesday and, when asked by a CBS News photographer, both declined interviews at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, but the two were seen entering and leaving the courthouse Tuesday morning.
The teenagers told deputies they stopped outside a property in the 23000 block of Pleasant Park Road around 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 10.
Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesperson Jacki Kelley says there was no indication from the caller that they were being robbed.
Investigators found the note the teens were writing in a school binder. They say Metz said nothing before firing.
"There was no conversation," said Kelley.
Metz did not explain why the teenager was shot to deputies but insisted on talking to a lawyer.
An arrest affidavit indicates that the 17-year-old victim says he did not think Metz shot him intentionally. His 15-year-old friend told authorities he heard the gun go off and saw the windshield glass shatter before he ducked down. He heard Metz say, "Oh s..., my gun went off."
Kelley previously told CBS News Colorado that under Colorado law, it's not legal to use deadly force in defense of property unless there's reason to believe there will be harm to oneself or others.
The sheriff's office later confirmed that Metz does hold a concealed handgun permit. If convicted of any of the felony charges he now faces, he'll be barred from legally owning or carrying a gun.
Metz was arrested at the scene last week but released on a personal recognizance bond.
"Our office requested a cash only bond, but the court gave Metz a PR bond," a spokesperson for District Attorney Alexis King said via email. That type of bond means the defendant's signature acts as the promise to appear in court.
Metz was sworn in last year as a town council member in Mountain View, a tiny town in the Denver metro area about 30 miles northeast of Conifer. His term expires in 2027.
