GOLDEN, Colo. (CN) - Following three days of testimony, a jury on Monday found Brent Metz guilty on the felony of illegally discharging a firearm and misdemeanor assault after his Sig Sauer P320 pistol injured a teenager who had been looking for a scenic place to shoot photos.
The jury also acquitted the 40-year-old Colorado gunowner on two counts of menacing.
"It is our unwavering position that the facts show that this happened the way Jack said it happened and Luke said it happened," argued Christopher Johnson, deputy district attorney for the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, in closing.
Jack Howard, then 17, spent the afternoon of Sept. 10, 2024, driving around with his friend Luke in search of a scenic spot for homecoming photos. After spotting a lake just off the road, the pair pulled over and looked for the homeowner to ask permission to return before the dance.
As the teens headed back to their car to leave a note, a woman approaching the property reported them to 911 and alerted her partner, Metz, 38. Metz was serving on the Mountain View Town Council at the time.
"Mr. Metz knows these are kids, he knows there is no danger, he knows his gun is loaded, he knows there is a live round in the chamber, he knows there is no manual safety," Johnson said.
All parties agree that within seconds of Metz arriving at the property, his Sig Sauer P320 fired a shot that struck Howard through the windshield of his Audi. Howard survived, but the facial injury resulted in roughly $100,000 in medical expenses, according to a civil suit filed in December.
Luke told investigators he saw Metz exit his vehicle and point the gun at Howard.
In his defense, Metz says he never intended to point the firearm at the teens and was simply transferring it from a truck holster to a hip holster when he lost his footing and the gun discharged on its own.
Metz's firearm, a Sig Sauer P320, uses a striker safety system that is disengaged by pulling the trigger rather than a traditional thumb safety. The pistol has been the subject of numerous safety lawsuits in recent years, and its design became a central issue at trial.
Both sides called firearms experts to testify. Prosecutors called engineer Derek Watkins, who examined Metz's pistol and concluded it contained no defect that would cause a misfire. The defense countered with gun shop owner Edward Wilks, who described the P320 as "a trainwreck."
"The only time that weapon is safe is when there is not ammunition anywhere around it," argued defense attorney Christopher Decker in closing.
Throughout the trial, Metz's attorneys painted the Air Force veteran and former Eagle Scout as a responsible gun owner who spends his free time hunting and training. A guilty verdict on any of the four felony counts strips Metz of his ability to own a firearm for life.
"If Mr. Metz knew anything about the Sig Sauer, we wouldn't be there today, because he's that kind of gunowner," argued Decker, who practices with Decker & Jones in Denver.
First Judicial District Judge Russell Klein presided over the trial at the Jefferson County Combined Court in Golden, Colorado.
Source: Courthouse News Service
