A Colorado teenager who was looking for a picturesque site for photos was shot in the face by a homeowner as he sat in his car at the side of a rural road, a sheriff’s spokesperson said.
The 17-year-old boy was reportedly writing a note asking if he could take homecoming keepsake photos on the property when a man confronted him and fired through the windshield.
The alleged shooter, an owner of the property, had been alerted by his girlfriend after the home’s security system notified her of possible trespassers, said the report from the Jefferson County sheriff’s office.
The incident happened around 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the rural community of Conifer, in the foothills southwest of Denver.
The boy and his friend had parked on the shoulder along a public road and walked up the long driveway to a house on the property. They later told deputies they were looking for a resident to ask permission to take photos near a pond in front of the house before their high school’s homecoming celebration.
When they found nobody, they reportedly returned to the car, and the boy began writing a note to leave behind.
Meanwhile, a woman who was away from the home called the sheriff’s office to report that her security video system had recorded images of what appeared to be juvenile trespassers at the property. She also called her boyfriend.
When deputies arrived, they found the boy “bleeding heavily from the face” as his friend tried to give aid, the report said. A man was standing nearby, next to a pickup truck.
The wounded boy said the man had pulled up next to them, got out of the truck and fired a round through the car’s windshield.
The sheriff’s report said a handgun was found inside the truck.
The boy, with what was described as a serious injury, was taken by ambulance to a hospital. He remained hospitalized Wednesday, the Denver Post reported.
The 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, illegal discharge of a firearm and two counts each of felony menacing and reckless endangerment.
The suspect is on the town council of Mountain View, a 12-block home rule municipality in the Denver suburbs, the sheriff’s office confirmed to CBS News Colorado. A candidate profile from last year’s campaign said he was a general contractor who builds high-end homes and had previously worked as a petroleum engineer. To a question about crime and public safety, he said he has “a no-nonsense outlook to behavior that will harm our residents as well as my family.”
