ORINDA, California — Airbnb's chief executive officer said the company was taking actions against unauthorized parties in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Halloween party held at an Airbnb rental home in California.
The four-bedroom home had been rented on Airbnb by a woman who told the owner her dozen family members had asthma and needed to escape smoke from a wildfire, the person with knowledge of the transaction told The Associated Press. A fire burning in Sonoma County about 60 miles north of Orinda earlier in the week fouled the air over a wide area.
"We called the police. They were on the way to go there to stop them, but before we got there the neighbor already sent us a message saying there was a shooting," he told the Chronicle. Omari Taylor told KGO that his brother worked as a DJ to help support his young daughter. "He was a good man. If he was here right now, he'd want everyone to stay strong," Taylor said.
Orinda city documents show officials issued violations in March for exceeding the home's maximum occupancy and illegal parking. City Manager Steve Salomon said the homeowner had resolved previous complaints lodged in February over occupancy and noise and in July over overflowing trash.Airbnb has banned the renter from its platform and the home has been removed as a listing, he said.
"Everybody started running, scrambling," he said. "People were just collapsing and friends were helping friends. It was a scary situation and then as everyone is panicking and stuff, there were more shots."