A Jefferson County jury handed down two convictions of the man accused of shooting a teen in the face in 2024.

Brent Metz was found guilty of third-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm. He was not convicted of the third charge he faced, menacing.

Jurors deliberated for almost six hours on Monday.

Attorneys for Metz and prosecutors delivered closing arguments Monday morning, offering sharply different accounts of the events leading up to the shooting.

The incident 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 an Audi’s windshield and striking Jack Howard in the face.

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

Attorneys for Metz argued the gun discharged unintentionally and questioned witness testimony. Defense attorney Christopher Decker told jurors the physical evidence supports an accidental discharge, claiming the Sig Sauer P320 handgun used in the shooting is prone to firing without a trigger pull.

“The physics are very clear,” Decker said. “He’s stepping out of the car, he puts his foot down, loses his balance slightly, the muzzle raises, and at that moment this defective gun went off.”

Decker argued that because Metz did not know the gun could fire in that manner, he could not have consciously disregarded a known risk.

“Not all accidents are crimes, and, in order to be reckless, you have to consciously disregard a known risk,” Decker said.

Prosecutors, however, argued Metz intentionally and recklessly confronted the teens and fired the gun.

Prosecutor Chris Johnson said testimony alleged Metz exited his vehicle aggressively with a handgun and fired as one of the teens attempted to open a car door.

“Mr. Metz says something else happened,” Johnson said. “Despite seeing these boys trespassing on his property, calling 911 and being told explicitly not to contact them, charging them, blocking them in, he says he never pulled the gun and instead tripped getting out of his car. Which one of those makes more sense?” Johnson asked jurors. 

Metz faces up to 24 months in jail and a maximum fine of $5,000 on the third-degree assault conviction. He was taken into custody while awaiting sentencing.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15.