‘Pointed It Towards Them’: Colorado Councilman Who Shot Teen In Face Through the Windshield After Claiming His Gun Just ‘Went Off’ Refused to Resign, Council Voted Him Out Instead
A Colorado town councilman was ousted from office last week after he allegedly shot a 17-year-old in the face during a confrontation over trespassing.
Brent John Metz, 39, was removed from the Mountain View Town Council following a special recall election on May 20. The vote, which saw 127 residents support the recall and 72 oppose it, came months after Metz was charged in connection with a September 2024 shooting that left a teenager seriously injured. Council candidate Ryan Debner was elected to replace him.
Metz, a registered Republican, pleaded not guilty in April to four felony charges: second-degree assault (reckless causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon), two counts of felony menacing, and illegal discharge of a firearm. He is currently out on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on June 23. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are in ongoing discussions over a potential plea agreement.
The charges stem from an incident on Sept. 11, 2024, in the Conifer area, where Metz lives with his girlfriend and fellow Mountain View council member Brittany Loecher.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, two teenagers were looking for a scenic location to take homecoming photos and approached Metz’s lakefront property, valued at nearly $1.5 million.
The teens parked their white Audi outside the property’s gate and walked up the driveway to request permission to take photos. When no one answered the door, they returned to the car and began writing a note for the homeowner.
Loecher spotted the teens and called both police and Metz to report trespassing. Metz arrived first, pulling up in his black GMC Sierra beside the Audi to block it in. According to the arrest affidavit, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound councilman exited his vehicle, approached the teens, “pulled a handgun from his holster and pointed it towards them.”
Moments later, a gunshot rang out, the windshield shattered, and Metz allegedly said, “Oh sh—, my gun went off.”
A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy responded minutes later and found the teenage victim “bleeding heavily from his face,” with “blood running down his arm” and a white t-shirt pressed to his face. The affidavit noted, “The right corner of his mouth appeared to be missing flesh and he also had [wounds] on both the right and left side of his nose which were actively bleeding… also had swelling around both of his eyes.”
The teen was rushed to the hospital, where doctors told deputies they believed a bullet fragment was lodged in his head. His identity has not been publicly released due to his age.
The uninjured teen told deputies he never saw the gun, only heard the shot, and didn’t believe Metz intentionally fired. He added, according to the affidavit, that Metz “tried to help him after the gun went off.” Metz remained at the scene but refused to answer whether he had fired the weapon, instead asking for a lawyer.
Former Mayor Jeff Kiddie, who played a key role in organizing the recall, said the community could not ignore the incident. “The fact that the incident happened is kind of a blight on the town,” Kiddie told Daily Mail. “To have somebody make that rash judgement, accidental or not, just the act of pulling the firearm on two teenagers? … It just doesn’t rise to that level of need.”
Kiddie said the recall committee formed only after Metz made it clear he would not resign. “We were expecting a resignation of some sort, and when it became perfectly clear that that wasn’t the case, that’s where we formed a recall committee.”
Before the election, Metz sent a letter to constituents describing the incident as “an unintentional discharge of a firearm and the injury of another person.” He added, “I am thankful that this individual appears to have quickly recovered, and I want to assure you that I never intended to harm anyone.”
Addressing questions about why he wouldn’t step down, Metz wrote, “What would you do, if you were wrongfully accused of a crime? However much easier a choice this would be, would you abandon your sworn obligation to your neighbors and community?”
Loecher, who called 911 and notified Metz of the teens’ presence, has refused to talk to the press. Instead releasing a statement through Metz’s attorney, Christopher R. Decker, who stated, “[She] is confident that Mr Mets (sic) will be found not guilty, as he is presumed, and as all the facts will be established at trial.”
Mountain View Mayor Emilie Mitcham, pictured alongside Metz and Loecher in a previous council photo, did not respond to requests for comment.
Metz was elected to the Town Council in 2023. Despite efforts to stay in office, the majority of voters ultimately chose to remove him in the wake of what many viewed as an unacceptable and violent overreaction.