3 shootings in 4 months at vacation rentals in Midtown
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some Midtown residents say they’re concerned about their safety after someone was shot and killed at a vacation rental on their block early Sunday morning.
Police detained two people following the shooting in the 2100 block of Harbert Avenue but have released few details about what happened.
One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he heard loud music coming from a car at around 3:00 a.m. and, not long after that, saw police.
“There were a couple of cars out there and three guys. It looked like they were talking for a few minutes, and they got in the cars, and then 15 or 20 minutes later, the cops showed up,” said the man.
Neighbors said the shooting happened inside a short-term rental on the second floor of a multi-unit building.
“Some of them are regular longer-term units,” said a woman. “I actually had a friend who rented one of the Airbnbs.”
It’s the third shooting and fourth incident at a vacation rental in the Midtown area over the last four months.
A woman was shot and killed during a house party at a vacation rental in the 2100 block of Madison Avenue in mid-October.
On November 8, a driver was grazed by a bullet, and several homes were damaged when gunfire broke out near an Airbnb in the 2000 block of Carr.
Woman arrested, victim ID’d after deadly shooting near Overton Square
A woman staying at the Airbnb told police she had hosted a party the night before and believed some partygoers returned and were responsible for the shooting.
Gunfire breaks out at Midtown Airbnb party
Officers said they also found two backpacks full of guns in the backyard of the house behind the Airbnb. Among the weapons were two stolen handguns with machine gun conversion switches.
In late November, police also confiscated several stolen and illegal guns at a vacation rental in the 100 block of Auburndale Street. They said two handguns were equipped with Glock switches that turn the weapons into machine guns.
Illegal, stolen guns seized at Midtown short-term rental: MPD
Officers said they also seized seven key fobs, two IDs, and marijuana and said several individuals in a back bedroom of the rental tried to jump out a window to get away.
Neighbors said they’ve never had any issues with the short-term rental unit on Harbert Avenue before but don’t want vacation rentals on their street.
“If this is what is going to continue to happen,” said the neighbor. “If they don’t vet their customers and allow this to continue to happen, we don’t need them here.”
Police have not said if anyone has been charged in connection to the shooting.
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