Bath Township, Ohio — Gunfire erupted early Sunday at a large rental home where teenagers had gathered for a birthday party promoted on social media, leaving nine people injured. The scene in Northeast Ohio was chaotic as some people fled and first responders performed life-saving measures, police said.
The shooting happened around 12:15 a.m. in the town of Bath, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Akron.
At a news conference Sunday morning, Police Chief Vito Sinopoli said the severity of the victims’ injuries was unclear. It was not immediately clear whether the nine people were hit by bullets or not, and he added that an injury to one of them’s leg may have been caused by a fall.
The large house was rented through Airbnb, which is not allowed under local zoning laws, and most of the people at the party were under 18, Sinopoli said. He said the victims may be a mix of juveniles and adults. He added that posts on social media about the concert attracted a large crowd.
He added that it was not immediately known what caused the shooting and how many people opened fire. No arrests have been announced.
“The Bath Township community was subjected to tragic and senseless acts of violence early this morning,” Sinopoli said.
Airbnb said in a statement on Sunday that it prohibits “unauthorized and disruptive gatherings,” has suspended the property listing and removed the account of the person who rented the home. It said it had seen a 50% drop in reported partying since 2020, when the global party ban policy was put into effect.
“We are deeply saddened by this senseless act of gun violence, and our thoughts are with the injured victims and all those affected by it,” the company said, adding that it was cooperating with the police investigation.
Another shooting at an Airbnb rental in the city in 2017 left one person injured in the leg, Sinopoli said.
“It’s very much indicative that no community is immune to violence, and unfortunately this has happened in the town of Bath again,” he said.
Sinopoli said he spoke with the property owner about the shooting and discussed the town’s ban on short-term rental homes. He said renting homes is not a crime, just a zoning violation.