Summerhill charged with firing a gun while riding in Colorado

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Danny Summerhill (UnitedHealthcare) was arraigned in Jefferson County, Colorado on Tuesday on charges of disorderly conduct, discharging a weapon in a public place and reckless endangerment after being witnessed shooting his gun while riding his bicycle outside of Denver in February, according to the Denver Post. 

A cyclist was seen firing a handgun into a hillside as he rode along South Deer Creek Road, in the rural area south-west of Denver, during the afternoon of Tuesday, February 21.

According to the police report, he was followed by resident Joe Porter after his wife Shawn heard shots while she was fetching her mail, and saw the cyclist firing his gun into a hillside "between two driveways ... with a freestanding garage and a vehicle parked in front of it".

Joe Porter videotaped the rider, claiming to have seen a handgun in the rider's jersey pocket. Porter identified his kit as that of the UnitedHealthcare team, and said he believed the rider to be Summerhill, who was then tracked down by Deputy Jeffrey Pedersen later at a fitness club.

"The male initially denied shooting, but then admitted that he had a bad day and need to vent, so he decided to shoot," the report read. "He confirmed that he had been riding his bicycle in Deer Creek Canyon on a five-hour training ride and had needed to vent before he got back to his vehicle."

Summerhill reportedly told the officer he did not realise there were homes in the area and that it was illegal to shoot at the hillside.

Summerhill is due in court on July 12 for a pre-trial hearing.