Elias Elhania, 18, died of his gunshot injuries at the hospital after attending the massive party. The second male victim is expected to survive his injuries
Airbnb says it’s looking to take legal action against a guest who booked one of their stays to throw a massive underage party in Sunnyvale, California, where an 18-year-old was shot dead, and another was wounded.
The company said the party was unauthorized and verified that this host bans parties in her house rules.
Airbnb also clearly bans parties and party houses and has taken steps to try and block or cancel potentially risky bookings.
Airbnb says they are coordinating with local law enforcement in this on-going investigation and has deactivated the listing until further notice.
The August 7th party at 1447 Navarro Dr was advertised on social media telling guests to ‘BYOB’ – meaning Bring Your Own Beer – and ‘BYOW’ – meaning Bring Your Own Weed.
The hosts wrote online that the party would begin at 9:30pm and last until the cops arrived, which they did.
The massive party on Saturday, August 7 was advertised on social media and attracted 150 to 200 people mostly between the ages of 16 to 19, according to police
The Sunnyvale house was being rented as an Airbnb but was not registered with the city as a short-term rental unit. The city has several legal requirements for short-term rentals that were not followed
When police arrived to the scene Saturday night, they began searching for the homeowner when they heard two gunshots
Two adult men were found injured and rushed to a local San Jose hospital
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety was called to the home that was being listed online as short-term rental due to a noise complaint.
When officers arrived on the scene, they estimated a count of about 150 to 200 guests, mostly between the ages of 16 to 19.
As the officers attempted to identify the homeowner, two gunshots were heard from the party.
Two male victims were found with gunshot wounds and rushed to a local hospital, according to a press release.
Elias Elhania, 18, died of his injuries at the San Jose hospital. The second adult male victim is expected to live but is still in recovery.
Elhania was described as ‘a familiar face throughout the community, especially with the youth, and could easily be distinguished by his radiant smile, sincere attitude, and his hospitable heart’ by the Moroccan Solidarity group who organized his GoFundMe page.
Elias Elhania (pictured) died of his injuries at the San Jose hospital. Sunnyvale police are still investigating the situation and searching for a suspect. No arrest have been made
Captain Hank Syu told DailyMail.com that no arrests have been made as officers continue, ‘looking into all avenues to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened.’
Law enforcement, city officials, and Airbnb are working together to determine next steps and identify who, besides the shooter, should be held responsible.
Ke Zhou has been listed as the homeowner of 1447 Navarro Dr since May 2018, but list her primary address in Potomac, Maryland, according to public records.
An unidentified man answered a phone number associated with Zhou but told DailyMail.com that she was ‘not interested’ in speaking about the incident.
Captain Syu confirmed that the home was not registered with the city as a short-term rental.
According to city regulations, short-term rental hosts are ‘legally required to: reside on-site throughout your guests’ (lodgers’) stay, limit guests to a maximum of four adult guests per night and register as a host with the City.’
The party was held in violation of Airbnb’s Global Party Ban which was first enacted in August 2020 and then extended in May 20201 ‘through at least the end of summer 2021.’
Airbnb has stated they will be pursuing legal action against the host of the house who booked the location under false pretenses
The vacation rental company enacted a strict Global Party Ban in August 2020 which has been extended until the end of Summer 2021
Airbnb said in a statement that the guest ‘booked the listing under false pretenses’ and has been banned from the platform.
One of the party hosts – who posts online as @therealogbobby1 – told DailyMail.com that he is not aware of any legal action being taken by Airbnb.
Airbnb did not respond to DailyMail.com for a comment on the situation.
The Sunnyvale police captain stated that while the department ‘Haven’t had something of this magnitude’ happen in the town and described the deadly incident as ‘kind of a one off for our city’
He confirmed that ‘there has been an uptick in gun violence and more guns on the street.’
Gun violence has been surging across the country in recent years.
Captain Syu explained that the police department is working to end the gun violence by ‘continuing to be present within our community. Part of this is making sure our community is our eyes and ears out there with this or other crimes. That they’re reaching out as a community team so we can partner together.’
2021 is on track to become the nation’s deadliest year of gun violence to date as shootings surge
The US recorded one shooting every 12 minutes during a deadly week in July, with at least 915 incidents leaving 430 dead and 1,007 wounded as gun violence spirals out of control across the nation.
Data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive reveals more than 1,000 Americans were wounded or killed in shootings in the seven days between Saturday July 17 and Friday July 23.
The shootings of the violent week come as the nation is on track to record its deadliest year of gun violence to date.
Between January and July 24 2021, there has been 25,216 gun-related deaths including homicides, murders, suicides, unintentional shootings, and defensive gun use incidents.
On average, this means 123 people have died every single day in 2021.
If the trend continues, almost 45,000 people will lose their lives to gun violence by the end of the year.
This figure dwarfs the 43,563 shooting deaths recorded in 2020 – which had been the deadliest year for shooting incidents in at least two decades.
On average, 123 people have died every single day in 2021 from gun violence putting the nation on track to record 45,000deaths by the end of the year