SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police officers said they are working with other city departments to shut down a nightclub that was tied to two separate weekend police shootings.
The business, located in the 5000 block of Southwest Military Drive across from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, has been operating as an “after-hours” club without a license, according to SAPD public information officer and Sgt. Washington Moscoso.
Moscoso said there is a long list of other troubles tied to the business.
“Shots fired in the area. A lot of guns at the location. There’s armored security with long guns,” Moscoso said. “Stuff going on at all hours of the night, starting just before two in the morning and lasting all the way until five or six in the morning.”
Additionally, Moscoso said the area behind the illegal business was being used as a fight club, complete with referees.
Police said people who live nearby issued complaints about the club last November.
Detectives were in the area over the weekend investigating the club when they were involved in two separate police shootings.
Police arrested Ronald Kelley and Henry Salazar, who are both 18 years old, early Saturday morning.
Officers said the pair were in a car that sped away from a shooting at the club after 2 a.m. Saturday.
After officers had tracked down the car, they said one suspect got out of the car and pointed a weapon at the officers.
SAPD said the officers then fired at the suspect. No one was injured by gunfire.
Police eventually took Kelley and Salazar into custody.
The department said that at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday, a 28-year-old man fired shots at officers from inside the club as they approached the building.
Officers fired back at that suspect, who ended up suffering multiple gunshot wounds.
A SWAT team was called in after the wounded man ran back into the building.
The 28-year-old was later taken to a hospital for treatment. As of Monday afternoon, police still had not released his name.
The club is located within a strip mall that sees plenty of business during the day.
Most of the other businesses are closed at night, though. People working there said they were not aware of what was happening at the club.
Behind the strip mall is an apartment complex where people said they couldn’t help but notice the trouble.
“Hearing shots ring out, and all I know is that we’re sitting on the kitchen floor,” one woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told KSAT on Monday.
The neighbor, who just moved into the area last week, said the weekend gunshots sounded like they were right outside her apartment.
The woman said the violence has her second-guessing her move.
“We don’t know now if it’s even safe for us to even just be here,” the woman said.
Officers said they’re doing their best to make the area safer.
Moscoso said shutting down the business is a process that involves several city departments.
However, Moscoso said, the incidents happening on back-to-back days could add to speeding up the process.
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