Police searching for suspects after shooting at Erie rental leaves one man dead, one wounded
Tim HahnA short-term stay at an east Erie house turned deadly early Thursday morning when Erie police said numerous gunshots were fired in and around the residence.
One man was killed and another was injured in the shooting.
No one had been charged as of Thursday afternoon in the shooting, which Erie police first learned of when they were called to the 3800 block of McClelland Avenue on Thursday at 12:07 a.m. to investigate a report of a male in the roadway, according to Lt. Sue Szocki.
Police would soon be directed to a house at 3904 McClelland Ave.
Erie police said the house is an Airbnb property. Police checked the address to confirm it Thursday morning, according to investigators.
A spokeswoman with Airbnb, in an email sent to the Erie Times-News Thursday afternoon, stated that, referring to the property, "there was a listing on Airbnb at the time of the incident but there was no Airbnb reservation at the time. We have no knowledge or connection to the people who were in the home or why they were there."
The spokeswoman also said the company did not have any information to suggest that those people had anything to do with Airbnb or its platform.
Airbnb is one of many platforms that lists homes as short-term rentals, according to the spokesperson.
What happened
"We're looking at a home-invasion robbery of an Airbnb," Police Chief Dan Spizarny said late Thursday morning.
"Without knowing all of the facts, I can't say much," Spizarny said of the investigation, which was in its infancy Thursday. "But we are paying special attention to it because it is a concerning development not usually seen in this area."
Investigators said some people from Arizona were renting the house when some sort of confrontation occurred and gunshots were fired from several different weapons.
The man who was killed, identified only as 30 years old, was found in the roadway in the 3800 block of McClelland Avenue and was taken to UPMC Hamot. He was pronounced dead at 1:05 a.m. Thursday, authorities reported.
An autopsy on the man will be performed Friday, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.
Shortly after officers arrived on McClelland Avenue to investigate the report of a man down, they received a call reporting that an 18-year-old man had arrived at Saint Vincent Hospital with gunshot wounds, including at least one gunshot to the face, Erie police Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said.
Information on the man's condition was not available Thursday afternoon. Lorah said officers were able to identify the shooting scene as 3904 McClelland Ave.
Lorah said it appears the gunshots were fired inside and around the house. Shell casings of multiple calibers were observed at the scene, he said.
Officers did a sweep of the residence but did not find anyone inside, Lorah said. Police continued to hold the house as a crime scene Thursday, and detectives were planning to obtain a search warrant to search it for evidence Thursday, he said.
Police spoke to several witnesses that were in the area after the shooting and have identified multiple people that detectives are speaking with, Lorah said.
Detectives were additionally downloading and reviewing video surveillance from security cameras in the area on Thursday and were looking to obtain additional video from cameras that officers observed in the area, Lorah said.
City's short-term rental rules to be revisited
The shooting occurred as city officials are looking into ways to address short-term rentals in Erie.
The Erie Planning Commission in 2021 approved changes to the city’s zoning rules that specifically address short-term rentals advertised on websites like Airbnb and VRBO. The changes allow such rentals throughout the city with some regulations.
Erie City Council hosted a public hearing on the issue on Nov. 18, and is expected to revisit the issue later this year.
“Using a site like Airbnb or VRBO to find a tenant is not illegal in the city of Erie,” said City Solicitor Ed Betza. “The issue the city needs to clarify is what do we do with rentals that are less than 30 days. We need to provide clarification for landlords and tenants on that, and we will be finalizing that in 2022.”
More:What Erie-area homeowners need to know about getting into the Airbnb business
Staff writer Kevin Flowers contributed to this story.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.