Three teenagers, including a 13-year-old girl, were shot at two apparent Airbnb parties in Philadelphia in the latest violence linked to illegal use of the vacation-rental platform, police said.
Philadelphia police told Fox News Digital that the violence broke out as dozens of young people attended separate parties booked through the service on the same night, although the company hasn’t confirmed one of the shootings was tied directly to the reservation.
The first shooting took place at 9:59 p.m. on Amber Street in the Kensington neighborhood, where a male 18-year old was shot twice in the abdomen at a party that included between 50 and 100 underage, according to Fox 29 News Philadelphia.
The wounded teen was taken to Temple University Hospital to be treated and was in stable condition, police told Fox News Digital. The company is investigating the link and has removed the listing from its platform pending the completion of the probe.
The shooter or shooters are still on the loose and no weapons were recovered from the scene, officers said. No arrests were made.
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Philadelphia Police responded to two shootings at separate Airbnb properties on June 19, 2023. (Fox 29 News Philadelphia )
A second shooting took place at a house on North 29th Street in Brewerytown, less than two hours later at 11:50 p.m., according to police. About 30 or 40 young people gathered in the house, after allegedly renting the home for a party.
Police said that by the time they arrived at the scene, a large crowed of people were rushing out of the property. A 13-year-old girl was found outside the rented Airbnb home with a gunshot to her right buttock, police added.
She was transported to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and was listed in stable condition, according to the police.
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One 18-year-old male was shot at a home rented through Airbnb, police said. (Fox 29 News Philadelphia)
A second victim, an 18-year-old man was shot in his left leg. He was transported by a private vehicle to Temple University Hospital and was also placed in stable condition.
No arrests were made and no weapons were found at the scene of the shooting, police said. Suspects are still unknown.
“We condemn this senseless gun violence, and hope that the victims make a swift recovery,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Fox News Digital of the North 29th Street shooting. “Parties are banned on Airbnb, and our Safety team has removed the booking guest and the listing from the platform as we investigate.”
A neighbor of the Kensington address told Fox 29 News Philadelphia that he heard multiple gun shots.
“Everybody scattered, and started running around,” he said. “They were like, running in front, jumping over the fences in the back.”
One 13-year-old girl was shot in the right buttock, and one male 18-year-old was shot in the leg, but no weapons were found, and no arrests have been made. (Fox 29 News Philadelphia)
“You hear about it all through Philly, you know, the issue with people in the city renting out Airbnbs and then partying,” he continued. “So, unfortunately it just happened here as well. I mean it’s, it’s just something that needs to be addressed.”
Neighbors in Brewerytown were outraged by the parties, which have been banned by the platform.
“There’s just an outright bedlam on the street. It’s enraging and outrageous,” a neighbor told the outlet.
She revealed that the Monday night shooting was “the fourth consecutive night she was woken up out of a dead sleep,” according to the news outlet.
“The cops come and they disperse and the next night it’s the same nonsense and foolishness,” the neighbor said.
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“We’ve been trying to get a block party and keep getting turned down for permits, but these Airbnbs can operate with impunity … complete disregard.”
The ongoing trend of renting properties for parties led to a ban by Airbnb that went into effect last year. The company has enacted reservation screening and a neighborhood support line to root out illegal use of its listings.
