Former Mountain View Town Councilmember Brent Metz took the stand Friday and testified that he did not intend to shoot a teenager who came onto his property to ask permission to take homecoming photos.

The trial began on Wednesday in Jefferson County court, in front of District Judge Russell Klein.

Metz is charged with second-degree assault, menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm.

While Metz and his attorneys have contended the shooting was an accident, the assault charge alleges recklessness and not intent. If convicted, he faces up to 16 years in prison.

The shooting happened on Sept. 10, 2024. Two teens, then 15 and 17, testified they were seeking a location to take homecoming photos when they came upon Metz’s property near Conifer. The two teens said they tried to find an intercom or camera to speak with the homeowner and when they didn’t find one, decided to hop the fence and knock on the door to ask for permission to take photos.

When they found no one, the teens said they returned to their car to write a note to the property owners. Metz then pulled up to the scene in his truck after his girlfriend had called him and the police to report trespassers on the property.

Upon arriving, Metz got out of his truck and a 9mm round was fired, traveling through the Audi’s windshield and striking Jack Howard in the face.

Metz’s attorneys contend the gun, a Sig Sauer P320, went off without Metz pulling the trigger, and that the shooting was an accident due to the firearm being defective. Prosecutors during opening statements painted Metz as someone who became angry when people trespassed on his property and arrived with a gun drawn, ready to shoot, according to 9NEWS.

Metz told jurors Friday that, on the day of the shooting, he was preparing for a hunting trip when his partner called him to inform him that she had driven past the property and saw a white Audi parked in front of the gate and people walking around near the house.

Metz said his partner had been a victim of several crimes around the time of the shooting, had active restraining orders, and was afraid.

When he arrived at the property, Metz said he only wished to speak with the teens. While his partner was afraid, Metz testified he believed the owner of the Audi, Howard, may have been a neighbor, and said neighbors often entered his property to take pictures or look at animals near a pond on his land. Under questioning from his attorney, Metz repeatedly said he was not angry or in an elevated mood.

After arriving, Metz said he parked his car and transferred his handgun from a vehicle holster to one on his hip, something he said he does every time he gets out of his truck. When he was doing so, Metz said, he was leaving his truck when he lost his balance and the handgun discharged without his intention.

He testified his finger was on the side of the gun, not the trigger, and said he was not deliberately pointing the gun at the teens at the time of the shooting, which contradicted earlier testimony from the teen who was not shot. 

That teen, now 17, testified Tuesday that Metz was pointing the gun at them as he was getting out of his truck, according to 9NEWS.

Metz testified that the shooting was an accident and that he feels horrible about what happened to Howard and his friend. Metz also said he would have allowed the teens to take pictures on his property.

“This has torn me up every single day since this event, and it’s something that I will struggle with for the rest of my life,” Metz said.

On cross-examination, Metz was questioned about why he decided to try and speak with the teens when a 911 operator warned his girlfriend not to confront them. Prosecutors also questioned why Metz armed himself if he only planned to speak with the teens, to which Metz, who held a concealed carry license, said he was almost always armed.

On Thursday, Howard, now 19, testified that he believed he was going to die after he was shot in the face. Following the shooting, Howard spent three days in the hospital and said he has experienced lasting effects from the shooting.

Both prosecutors and the defense called gun experts during the trial, who each painted a different picture of the Sig Sauer P320, the weapon Metz was carrying at the time of the shooting.

Metz’s defense attorneys argued that the P320 has a history of accidental discharges, and called Edward Wilks, a gun expert and gun store owner, on Friday, who testified that the P320 can be fired without a full trigger pull, and that the gun has such a history of accidental discharges that he does not sell it in his store.

On cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Johnson questioned Wilks’ methods of investigation, as Wilks said he did not attempt to induce an accidental discharge of Metz’s weapon and instead only inspected it and found signs of defects.

Derek Watkins, a gun expert who testified Thursday, said the P320 cannot be fired without a full trigger pull.

Wilks also testified that the fact that Metz’s P320 still had the fired shell casing in the chamber was evidence Metz was not firmly holding the weapon when it fired, as Metz’s hand likely blocked the slide from chambering a new round. Wilks said this points to Metz not intending to fire the weapon when it was discharged.

Prosecutors rested their case Thursday, and the defense rested Friday. The trial will continue on Monday with closing arguments and jury deliberations.

The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9NEWS contributed to this story.