Three 20-year-olds shot at an Airbnb party, Sacramento County deputies say
Three people in their 20s were shot at a party held in an Airbnb rental early Sunday morning near Delma Way and Howe Avenue, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Spokeswoman Lacey Nelson said several 911 calls from the area came in about a shooting around 1:15 a.m. Authorities said the victims were transported to a hospital, where they remain in stable condition.
When officers arrived, partygoers “took off in different directions,” Nelson said, limiting the amount of witness statements authorities were able to gather. Officials said they have no suspects in custody and the motive is unknown. An investigation is currently ongoing.
An initial investigation by Airbnb found that the party was thrown without knowledge or consent of the hosts, Airbnb spokesperson Ben Breit said via email.
“We are outraged by the reported behavior and violence, which goes against everything our community stands for. We have banned the booking guest from our platform as we urgently investigate this incident,” Breit said.
The company has temporarily deactivated the listing pending an investigation.
Airbnb, a short-term rental site with headquarters in San Francisco, allows property owners around the world to list rooms and properties for rent to travelers at market prices. The firm has struggled financially in recent months — laying off nearly 1900 employees, or 25 percent of the workforce — as the coronavirus pandemic slashed forecasted revenue to half the amount earned in 2019.
But even amid a downturn in travel, Airbnb has continued its operations and taken steps to prevent unauthorized parties. Airbnb does not allow unauthorized parties and has taken recent steps to curb them, including with an initiative restricting some guests under 25 years old from booking entire homes in their local area. Airbnb also banned “party houses” in 2019 following a deadly shooting at a Halloween party hosted in a rental home in Orinda.
In the span of two months in 2019, at least three were injured and one killed in shootings at Airbnb parties that attracted uninvited guests and resulted in violence. The shootings were scattered across the Sacramento region, in Elk Grove, Rocklin and Fair Oaks.
This story was originally published August 9, 2020 at 12:48 PM.