A Colorado town council member is standing trial on felony assault charges after a teenager was shot on his property during what began as a search for homecoming photo locations.
The incident occurred on September 10, 2024, when 17-year-old Jack Howard and a friend stopped at a private property in Conifer, Colorado. The teenagers had been driving around looking for scenic spots to take homecoming photographs and decided to explore the area near a private lake.
Brent Metz, 40, who serves on the Mountain View town council, testified that he was responding to reports of trespassers on his property when the shooting occurred. According to Metz’s testimony, he regularly encountered strangers on his land, as people frequently stopped near his private lake to observe ducks or allow their dogs to swim.
The sequence of events began when Howard and his companion parked in Metz’s driveway and walked around the property, intending to ask permission to return later for photographs. While the teenagers were writing a note in their vehicle, a witness contacted emergency services about the trespassers and also notified Metz directly.
Metz, who holds a concealed carry permit, testified that he routinely moved his Sig Sauer P320 pistol between his home safe, hip holster, and truck holster. He claimed the weapon discharged accidentally as he was exiting his vehicle to confront the teenagers.
“The plan was to step out of my vehicle and then holster my firearm, it’s the same move I’ve made thousands and thousands of times before,” Metz stated during his testimony. He described feeling the firearm discharge against his belly when his foot didn’t land where he expected while stepping out of the vehicle.
The single bullet traveled through the windshield of the Audi where the teenagers were sitting, striking Howard in the face. The projectile hit the teenager’s nose and fragmented into three pieces, all of which required surgical removal. Howard survived the shooting but incurred medical expenses totaling $100,000, according to a civil lawsuit filed in December.
Prosecutors present a different version of events, arguing that Metz disregarded dispatcher advice to wait for law enforcement and instead confronted the teenagers with his weapon drawn. Deputy District Attorney Christopher Johnson stated during opening arguments that Metz approached with a loaded 9mm handgun with a round chambered and fired immediately when Howard opened the car door.
The defense has called upon firearms safety and reconstruction experts to support Metz’s claim that the Sig Sauer P320 misfired without trigger engagement. The P320 model features a striker safety lock that releases when the trigger is pulled, rather than a manual thumb safety requiring separate disengagement.
Defense attorney Christopher Decker portrayed his client as a responsible gun owner who obtained his first concealed carry permit at age 19 and maintained consistent firearms training from his time in the Eagle Scouts through his service in the Air Force.
Metz expressed remorse during his testimony, stating he would never have allowed his family near a loaded P320 if he had known about potential safety issues. “I feel horrible this happened to those two young men. It is something that has torn me up everyday and it is something I will struggle with for the rest of my days,” he said.
The charges against Metz include felony assault, illegal discharge of a firearm, and two counts of menacing. A conviction would result in a lifetime prohibition from carrying firearms. The trial is taking place at the Jefferson County Combined Court in Golden, Colorado, with Judge Russell Klein presiding.
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