Woman still has shotgun pellets in her forehead after shooting outside after-hours club in north Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – A woman’s forehead still has pellets from a shotgun shell stuck to it following an incident outside an after-hours club in north Houston over the weekend.

Paige Bartlett, 20, said she was standing outside La Mona in West Parker near the North Freeway around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, waiting in line to get in.

Bartlett said several security guards were standing outside and one had a shotgun.

“That doesn’t make sense to me. A security guard carries a shotgun,” Bartlett said.

She said she heard someone nearby asking him if it was real.

“‘It’s just pellets,’ and went ‘boom,'” Bartlett recalled saying. “He was just trying to show off to everyone, and it backfired.”

The shotgun pellets ricocheted off the sidewalk and hit her in the leg and forehead. Houston police said another person was also injured.

Bartlett said she did not immediately realize the extent of the injury to her head, but blood was dripping from it.

“I’m screaming because at that point I didn’t know if I was going to die,” she recalled, crying. “It just happened so fast.”

When Houston police arrived, the security guard in question had already disappeared.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Security guard flees when shotgun accidentally goes off, injuring 2 women outside north Houston club: HPD

In an interview the morning of the shooting, police said there was no incident that would have compelled the security guard to fire the weapon.

“The least you can do is make sure people are safe and that others don’t have guns while you’re all playing with guns,” Bartlett said.

On Monday afternoon, Houston police said they had not yet identified the security guard. On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman said the security guard had identified himself and made a voluntary statement.

The unidentified security guard told police he dropped the gun, it hit the ground and went off. He said it was unintentional.

“They say it was an accident, but it wasn’t an accident,” Bartlett said. “He could have killed people. People could have been killed.”

HPD said it was unclear if the guard in question was a licensed security officer, but added that he was employed by a security company and that the other guards who were on site Sunday morning were also licensed.

No charges have been filed against the security guard. HPD said the district attorney’s office has referred the case for further investigation.

On June 22, three people were shot in the club’s parking lot around 5 a.m., according to Houston police.

Last year, the city of Houston passed an ordinance requiring after-hours clubs to obtain a permit from the city and comply with certain regulations.

The City of Houston confirmed that La Mona does not have a permit.

HPD said they may issue tickets to businesses for violating the ordinance, but this is usually part of a subsequent investigation.

ABC13 was unable to locate the owner of the after-hours club or reach him for comment.

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