DRAPER, Utah, April 3, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Airbnb has released a statement following a fatal shooting and the critical shooting injury of a second victim Sunday outside a Draper residence rented as an Airbnb site.
“We join the Draper community in condemning this senseless gun violence,” it says. “We ban parties, and we have removed the booking guest from our platform as we conduct a thorough investigation.
“We have also reached out to the leadership of the Draper Police Department to offer our assistance as they work to find the person responsible for this criminal act.”
The listing has been deactivated, at least during the investigation, the company statement says.
“We can confirm this was an unauthorized party — meaning the host was not aware of the party and did not consent to it.”
As of the last report, the shooter remains on the run.
Lt. Dustin Willie, Draper Police Department, told Gephardt Daily officers were called to an Airbnb rental home on South Cranberry Hill Court just before 1 a.m. When police arrived, they found one man who had been shot dead, and another who was wounded, and in extremely critical condition.
Witnesses told police the shooting happened just as a large party being thrown at the vacation rental home was beginning to break up. Partygoers were leaving when there was a confrontation in the street between two men, one of whom pulled a gun and opened fire, Willie said.
The man police say was the intended target died at the scene. A second man who was caught up in the shooting was gravely wounded and rushed to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries.
Willie said after the shooting, the suspect tried unsuccessfully to carjack a vehicle before he managed to flee. Police believe he was given a ride by a friend or drove off in his own vehicle.
The deadly shooting outside the Airbnb prompted a large police response with officers from Draper, Sandy, West Jordan and Unified Police taking part in search efforts. A K-9 unit was deployed, as was the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Star 9 helicopter team.
The suspect, described a male with a stalky build and face tattoos, remained at large Sunday morning.
Police have yet to release the victim’s name pending notification of family members.
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the investigation progresses.
