Man injured in drive-by shooting at Costa Mesa residence listed on Airbnb

At least one person was injured in a drive-by shooting Thursday night at a Costa Mesa residence listed on the short-term rental booking site Airbnb, according to a neighbor who witnessed the incident.

The Costa Mesa Police Department responded to multiple calls of gunshots heard in a residential area on the city’s west side at around 9 p.m., according to a release issued by the department Friday.

Officers learned an altercation and a shooting had taken place at a home on the 800 block of Towne Street, where a party was being held.

No party participants were at the home when officers arrived on scene, the release stated. Officers later learned one victim, a 26-year-old man, had been taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

A resident of the area, who asked that his name be withheld, said he saw a vehicle traveling westbound on Towne Street fire shots at a group of people outside the residence, at least one of whom returned gunfire.

After the shooting victim was transported to the hospital, more than a dozen shell casings could be seen on the street, and blood was visible on a nearby sidewalk, the man said. Stray bullets reportedly struck the exterior bedroom wall of another nearby home.

The neighbor estimated at the time of the incident a group of at least 25 people had been partying at the house, which the homeowner began listing for rent on Airbnb about a month ago.

A search of the property’s address on Airbnb.com returned a listing for a 4-bedroom house with a pool and game room that can accommodate at least 16 guests and goes for nearly $400 per night.

The neighbor said since the property’s listing, the home has been the site of several loud parties, held multiple nights each week and sometimes lasting until dawn.

“It’s getting progressively worse,” he said of the situation.

Guidelines listed in March by the California Department of Public Health encourage cancellation or postponement of any gathering that “brings together people in a single room or a single space at the same time.”

Airbnb’s content policy, which includes an update pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic, states hosts may not post any content that “encourages guests to have gatherings that violate health restrictions” or to “ignore applicable health or travel advisories.”

Costa Mesa police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said Friday the incident was being actively investigated. Anyone with information is asked to contact CMPD Det. Monte Peters at (714) 754-5198.

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