Judge Russell Klein sentenced Metz to three months of work release and four years of probation after hearing emotional statements from the mothers of the two teen victims and from Metz, along with arguments from the prosecution and defense.

Klein told the courtroom that although the prison sentence requested by the prosecution was not appropriate because of Metz’s lack of criminal history, Metz’s attorney’s proposal of a year of probation “doesn’t really properly address the gravity of what took place in this case.”

“A child being shot in the face is a trauma that can never be taken away from them, and that is a very serious offense,” Klein said.

Jack Howard was 17 years old when he and 15-year-old Luke Brookhouser stumbled upon Metz’s property near Conifer while looking for a place to take homecoming photos in September 2024.

The pair hopped the fence, knocked on a barn door and were sitting in their car writing a note to ask permission to return to take photos when Metz pulled up behind them and got out of his truck.

Metz’s attorneys, David Jones and Christopher Decker, have argued that Metz’s gun went off unintentionally while he was getting out of his vehicle. Deputy District Attorney Christopher Johnson argued that Metz fired the gun.

Howard was shot in the face, and the fragmented bullet broke his nose and hit his eye, lip, tooth and arm, according to a lawsuit.

A Jefferson County jury in June convicted Metz of third-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm in the shooting and acquitted him of two counts of felony menacing.

On Tuesday, Brookhouser’s mother, Tiffany, read a letter her son wrote to the court because he could not attend the sentencing hearing.

In the letter, the teen talked about the pain he and those around him have gone through and criticized Metz for not apologizing until it benefited him.

“He will never know what it’s like to constantly have to relive that moment, and he will never be able to take back what he did,” Luke Brookhouser wrote.

Howard’s mother, Allison, also addressed the court and called out Metz for not apologizing or taking responsibility for the shooting.

“What happened that day did not end when the bleeding stopped,” she said. “It changed these boys forever.”

Metz also addressed the court and started by apologizing to the teens and their families.

“I know that an apology cannot erase what occurred or undo the impact it has had on your lives. I can only tell you there hasn’t been a single day since that accident that I have not thought of and prayed for you and your family,” he said.

Before announcing the sentence, Klein said he’s still not clear why Metz parked in a way that stopped the boys from leaving or why he unholstered the gun from where it was secured in his truck — a concern echoed by District Attorney Alexis King in a statement after the sentencing.

“Ultimately, (Metz) was found to be negligent and reckless, and he has caused a lifetime of trauma for those who suffered from his poor decision-making,” King said.

Metz’s attorneys could not be reached for comment on the sentencing, but during the hearing, Jones emphasized that Metz has taken responsibility for his negligence and has felt remorse every day since the shooting.

The in the 4300 block of North Pecos Street at 10:18 p.m. Tuesday. Paramedics took one man who had been shot to the hospital, where he later died, police said.

As of Wednesday morning, no suspects had been publicly identified and information about the events leading up to the shooting was not available.

The man killed in the shooting will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner at a later date.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 719-913-7867.

Denver police officers responded to two other shootings overnight — one in the and one in the . One person was injured in each of the shootings, but additional information about the incidents was not available.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

The agency did not name the person because they are a juvenile male.

The person was arrested Thursday in connection of the death of 18-year-old Pharrow Ware on April 5, according to the news release.

Police also arrested Dazirius Wilford, 18, on Wednesday in connection with Ware’s death.

Ware was fatally shot at the park at East 37th Avenue and Vine Street on Easter. Sharon Ware, 43, was also killed at the park.

Police previously said they identified a 34-year-old man suspected of killing Sharon Ware, but he was not charged with murder because the Denver District Attorney’s Office found there was “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.”

The first posted about the shooting in the at 1:49 a.m. Wednesday. That block sits in a northern section of the city’s Montbello neighborhood.

When officers arrived, they found one man who had been shot, police said. Paramedics took the man to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries, . His death is under investigation as a homicide.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no suspects had been publicly identified or arrested.

The man killed will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner at a later date.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Carlos Zarco, 50, was arrested last week on investigation of second-degree murder in the death of 45-year-old Nathanial Liester, according to an affidavit from the Aurora Police Department. Investigators previously identified the victim, who had not been named at the time, as a 25-year-old man.

In addition to the murder charge, Zarco faces two violent crime sentence enhancers in the case, court records show.

Zarco is accused of fatally shooting Liester in an Aurora alley between the 1400 blocks of Dallas and Clinton streets in the early hours of June 7, police said. Aurora officers responded to the shooting at 4:28 a.m., according to Zarco’s arrest affidavit.

Paramedics took Liester to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 5 a.m., according to the affidavit.

One witness told police that she heard a man saying “something to the effect of ‘you owe me, you owe me’ and ‘you haven’t paid, and you want more (expletive)?’” before the shooting, the affidavit stated.

Liester said he would pay the man and started to turn away, which is when he was shot in the back by another man, the witness told police in the affidavit.

Investigators used surveillance videos to track the shooter’s path throughout the day, including where he discarded several articles of clothing after the shooting, police wrote in the affidavit. At one point before the shooting, the man’s face was captured on camera inside a gas station — a video that police matched to Zarco’s driver’s license photo, according to the affidavit.

Zarco’s “distinctive” tattoos also matched the tattoos captured on the suspect by surveillance cameras, and one eyewitness to the shooting positively identified Zarco from a photo array, police said.

The man is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning for an advisement hearing.

Joseph York was arrested Thursday after detectives identified him as a suspect through interviews and surveillance video, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday.

Detectives believe York was arguing with the victim, 25-year-old Elijah Barr, before the shooting in the early hours of June 7, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday. The intersection is between the city’s .

Barr was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

York is being held without bail in the Downtown Detention Center and is set to appear in Denver County Court on Saturday, jail records show.

Officers arrested , 50, on suspicion of second-degree murder, the Aurora Police Department said in a news release.

The shooting happened at around 4:30 a.m. June 7 in an alley between the 1400 blocks of Dallas and Clinton streets, according to the agency.

Investigators believe a group of people were in the alley when an argument started and Zarco opened fire, killing a 25-year-old man. Zarco ran from the scene.

The man’s name will be released by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

Police are still investigating the case, and anyone with information about the case can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Anthony Allen, 20, took a deal and pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Francisco “Cisco” Laqui, according to Jefferson County court records. Philix Baca, 21, also took a deal and pleaded guilty in January to attempted first-degree murder.

Both men were sentenced on March 4 to 25 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, court records show.

“This case simply should not have happened,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Mathews said in a statement. “Young individuals soaked in a reckless gun culture on social media came face to face with the very real consequences of gun violence. Their senseless acts put a community in danger and led to the death of a young man.”

Lakewood police officers responded to reports of gunshots near 1165 Garrison St. just before 4 a.m. on April 13, 2024, according to a. Laqui had been hosting a house party at a vacation rental property in the area when he was shot in the head outside the home, according to the release.

Cecellia Nace arrived at the party driving a Nissan Rogue with Baca and Allen as her passengers, according to the district attorney’s office. Joaquin Bustillos arrived in a pickup truck with passenger Martin Ramirez.

As Ramirez, Allen, and Baca approached the residence, they got into an argument with people outside the home, prosecutors said. Allen and Baca returned to Nace’s car, and Ramirez returned to Bustillos’ pickup. As the two vehicles drove away, the three fired their weapons, according to the district attorney’s office.

Laqui, who was outside the home at the time, was fatally struck in the head by one of Allen’s bullets, prosecutors said. Investigators later determined that Baca’s and Ramirez’s gunshots had not struck any homes or people.

All five participants were originally charged with first-degree murder in Laqui’s death “under a complicity theory,” according to the district attorney’s office, but each of them pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Bustillos, 23, Nace, 21, and Ramirez, 23, took deals and pleaded guilty to one felony count each of being an accessory to a crime. Ramirez also pleaded guilty to one count of felony menacing.

On Feb. 11, Jefferson County District Court Judge Russell Klein sentenced each of the three to five years of probation, court records show.

“When you look at everyone involved here, Mr. Baca was the bad influence,” Deputy District Attorney Chris Johnson said during Baca’s sentencing hearing, according to the release. “He fired the .45 caliber handgun five times and committed the same act that Anthony Allen did. He was either lucky or simply a bad shot. He then spent more than a year on the run.”

“While Anthony Allen fired the fatal shot, I believe that Mr. Baca is actually more responsible,” Johnson continued.

A Carbon County sheriff’s deputy first responded to reports of a man with a gun in Baggs, Wyoming — roughly 3 miles north of the Colorado border — at 1:15 p.m. Monday, according to a .

The man, who has not been publicly identified, “opened fire” on the responding deputy, striking him several times before fleeing the scene in a truck, said in a statement on social media.

Colorado law enforcement “immediately responded to assist,” according to the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers and other Carbon County deputies pursued the man down Wyoming 789, Bakken said. The man shot again at law enforcement before driving off the highway and coming to a stop, he said.

Colorado’s Northwest Regional SWAT Team — including the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, Routt County Sheriff’s Office, Craig Police Department, Steamboat Springs Police Department and Hayden Police Department — arrived in the area after the man drove off the road, Moffat County officials said.

The man died at the scene of the crash, Bakken said. Moffat County officials said Wyoming law enforcement also shot at the man. It’s unknown if he died in the crash or from a bullet.

The investigation is ongoing and being conducted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Paramedics took the injured deputy to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the injured deputy, his family, and the dedicated men and women of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office as they navigate the aftermath of this tragic event,” Moffat County Sheriff Chip McIntyre said in a statement.

Aurora officers responded to the shooting in an alley between the 1400 blocks of Dallas and Clinton streets at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the police department.

When officers arrived, they found a 25-year-old man who had been shot, police said. Paramedics took the man to the hospital, where he later died, according to the release.

The man will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office.

Investigators believe people were arguing in the alley when shots were fired and the suspect ran from the scene, police said. As of Sunday afternoon, no suspects had been publicly identified or arrested.

It’s unknown how the people in the alley knew each other, police said. Additional information about the shooting and the events leading up to it was not available on Sunday.

This is a developing story and may be updated.