A teenager was shot in the face by a property owner after he hopped over a fence and trespassed while looking for a place to take homecoming photos, according to authorities.
The shooting unfolded on Tuesday when the 17-year-old boy and his friend told investigators they were “looking for a cool place” in Conifer, Colorado, to take the snaps.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said that the two teens claimed they hopped the fence and looked for the homeowner but couldn’t find anyone there.
They said they then returned to their car to write a note to the owner seeking permission to take photos on the property.
At that moment, the sheriff’s office said a man pulled up next to them, got out, and fired his gun through the windshield of their car, striking one of the boys in the face.
The suspected shooter was identified as Brent Metz, a 38-year-old member of Mountain View Town Council.
The sheriff’s office said police had received a 911 call from Metz’s girlfriend reporting two trespassers on her property. She had also called her boyfriend – who also owns the property – and told him about the incident.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the 17-year-old “bleeding heavily from his face,” with the other teen applying pressure to his wounds with a t-shirt, Denver7 reported.
Metz was also on the scene and the weapon used in the shooting was found inside his truck, the sheriff’s office said.
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.
Criminal defense lawyer Tyrone Glover told Denver7 it is “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.”
“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 Jeff Co have said – I don’t see any excuse,” he added.
Colorado has a “Make My Day” law, which allows residents to use deadly force against an intruder inside their home.
According to authorities, the shooting took place on a public road outside of the parameters of Metz’s private property.
When reached for comment by The Independent, the Mountain View town administrator said the town “does not have any comments or statements at this time” about the incident.
