Shotgun pellets still lodged in woman’s head following incident outside club

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A woman still has shotgun pellets lodged in her forehead after an incident outside an after-hours club in north Houston over the weekend.

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

Bartlett said several security guards were outside, one of whom had a shotgun.

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

She overheard someone nearby asking if the shotgun was real.

“‘It’s just pellets,’ and then, ‘Boom,'” Bartlett recalled the guard saying. “He was just trying to show off in front of everyone, and it backfired.”

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

Bartlett didn’t immediately realize the extent of her head injury but noticed blood dripping down.

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

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

During a morning interview after the shooting, police said there was no incident that required the guard to fire the weapon.

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

On Monday afternoon, Houston police said they had not yet identified the security guard. By noon on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the security guard had come forward and given a voluntary statement.

The unidentified guard told police he dropped the gun, causing it to fire when it hit the ground. He said it was unintentional.

“It’s being said that it was an accident, and it was not an accident,” Bartlett said. “He could have killed people. People could have been killed.”

HPD said it is unclear if the guard in question is licensed but confirmed he is employed by a security company, and the other guards on scene were licensed.

Charges have not been filed against the 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 enacted an ordinance requiring after-hours clubs to obtain a permit and follow regulations.

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

HPD said they can ticket establishments for violating the ordinance, but that typically happens as part of a follow-up investigation.

has not been able to identify or reach the owner of the after-hours club for comment.