Police:19-year-old shot inside Galveston nightclub

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 19-year-old victim called his dad just after being shot inside La Playa club where he worked in Galveston.

"He called me and said, 'Dad,' I said, 'What's going on, son?' and he said, 'I've been shot.' I said, 'Are you alright, are you joking with me?' and he said, 'No, I was shot in the side and I'm getting ready to go to the hospital now," Damon Jackson said.

The motive isn't clear, but officers say the incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Monday.

When officers arrived, they say the club doors were locked and people were still inside, including a possible suspect.

SWAT teams obtained a search warrant to get inside and escorted everyone out of the club.

Business owners on the Strand say they rely on extra police officers who come from around the state during Mardi Gras season.

"We haven't had issues on this end and they are up and down the Strand all the time," Willie Huffman of Dolphin Island Gifts said. "We feel pretty safe here and have enough employees."

Police say families should feel safe coming to Mardi Gras this week.

"I would tell people this is not something they should be concerned with as far as a regular occurrence. It happened at a nightclub that wasn't in the event area, and it was well after the event had taken place," Sgt. Joshua Schirard with Galveston Police said.

Investigators say they expect to issue an arrest warrant in the next couple of days.

"Maybe he'll be off the street and he won't come back this weekend," said Huffman.

TABC says the club location has received one violation two years ago for selling alcohol to an intoxicated person. They paid the fine.

The state has opened a breach investigation to see if any of the club's practices played a role in the shooting.