Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
A Jefferson County jury found a man guilty of reduced charges Monday, 22 months after he shot a teenager in the face as the youth looked for a spot in Conifer to take Homecoming photos. Brent Metz was found guilty of third-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm, but not guilty on two counts of felony menacing of the two teens, and the original second-degree assault charge.
Chris Decker, Metz’s attorney, argued that Metz stumbled while exiting his vehicle and his gun accidentally discharged, blaming what he called the faulty design of the SIG Sauer P320 Metz had drawn. Prosecutors had said Metz had driven up to the teens aggressively in his truck, blocking in their car and threatening them.
The SIG Sauer P320 has been implicated in a number of accidental shootings, and several lawsuits against the manufacturer are in progress. Nevertheless, the prosecution said, even if the shooting wasn’t intentional, it was reckless, and intentionality wasn’t required to be proven for a guilty verdict.Metz’s attorneys said they plan to ask for a new trial. Check out an excellent, well-reported write-up of the whole story on Denver7.com.