Pittsburgh Police Seek Witnesses, Clues In Airbnb Party Shooting That Killed Two
Pittsburgh police are investigating a house party shooting early on Easter Sunday (April 17) at an Airbnb where two teenagers were killed and several others were injured.
Authorities said up to 200 people, many of them underage, partied at the rented house in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood when more than 90 rounds of gunfire erupted around 12:30 a.m., the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Speaking at a news conference later that day, Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott E. Schubert said investigators believe an altercation prompted an exchange of gunfire. There were no immediate suspects in the ongoing investigation, the chief stated, as he asked for the public’s help.
“We’re not going to sleep until we get who did this,” Schubert emphasized. “This shouldn’t have happened. We’re sick about it. We’re going to do everything we can to get those responsible for it.”
As of Monday afternoon Schubert said there were no arrests or suspects, according to the Post-Gazette.
Images of the damaged house and shell casings circulated on social media following the mayhem.
Both individuals fatally shot in the chaos were 17-year-olds. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified them as Mathew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown. Eight other people were shot but survived, and another five suffered various injuries while trying to escape the melee.
The evidence points to multiple shooters and firearms in what was a “very chaotic scene,” the police chief stated.
Meanwhile, disturbing videos on social media appear to show the moment when panic erupted at the party, as multiple gunshots are heard and someone yells, “He’s got a gun!”
A neighbor told the Post-Gazette that dozens of cars bringing partygoers to the house flooded the streets at about 11 p.m.
“It was like a club. There was a line of people to get in [stretching] to the corner here. It was so clearly underage kids. These kids looked like they were 14,” Mitchell Wilston, 30, said.
Wilston also told The Washington Post that neighbors called the police around 9 p.m. Surveillance video from his security camera shows that a Pittsburgh police officer was parked outside the party house at about 11 p.m. before the shooting started.
A girl who attended the party said it was advertised around the neighborhood through paper posters, the Post reported. She returned Sunday afternoon to retrieve her car, which she found damaged by bullet holes in the side and windshield.
At the press conference, the police chief said investigators were trying to find out who rented the Airbnb. Meanwhile, the company is reportedly cooperating with the police, according to the Post-Gazette.
“We share the Pittsburgh community’s outrage regarding this tragic gun violence. Our hearts go out to all who were impacted — including loved ones of those who lost their lives, injured victims and neighbors,” the Post-Gazette quoted Airbnb’s statement.
