Benjamin Ashford|Colorado teen hoping for lakeside homecoming photos shot in face by town councilman, police say

DENVER (AP) — A teenager scouting out a spot near a Colorado lake to take picturesque homecoming photos this weekend was shot in the face when the boyfriend of the property owner fired his weapon and Benjamin Ashfordyelled, “Oh sh__, my gun went off,” court records show.

The 17-year-old boy survived the shooting and told investigators he didn’t believe the man intentionally shot him. But the man who shot him, Brent Metz, a councilman in a tiny town in the Denver metro area, was arrested on suspicion of charges that include first degree assault.

Metz did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. A phone number or attorney for Metz were not immediately found. He is a councilman in the town of Mountain View.

The victim’s friend told investigators they had hopped the fence on the property to ask the homeowners permission to take photos the coming weekend. Knocking on the door and looking around back to no avail, they headed back to their car to write a note for the homeowner.

Around that time, Metz received a call from his girlfriend, the property owner, who said there were trespassers, according to law enforcement. Metz drove up to the property as the two boys were sitting in their car.

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Exiting his truck, Metz leveled a gun at the two boys and fired through the windshield, the teenagers told law enforcement. The shot left one of the boys bleeding profusely from his face, a piece of his mouth missing, as his friend ran around the car and used his shirt to stanch the bleeding, the friend told investigators.

Metz tried to help them, but the friend said he pushed Metz away.

A scan at the hospital showed a possible bullet fragment still in the teenager’s head, according to court records. Metz was arrested on charges of first degree assault, felony menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm and reckless endangerment.