Shootout at short-term rental riles mayor

Jul. 31—By just about any definition it was a bad party — ending in gunshots, screams and sirens.

But it could have been worse.

Perhaps miraculously, no one was injured during a gunfight after a holiday party spilled into a normally-quiet south Scottsdale cul-de-sac.

While the East Kimsey Lane party at a short-term rental was still being investigated, police learned a woman who died of gunshots in Phoenix likely was at the Scottsdale party.

"On July 5 at approximately (2:14 a.m.) several reporting parties advised there were gunshots in the roadway related to a short-term rental property" on East Kimsey Lane, a police report stated. "There were numerous callers who reported screaming, people in the street and gunfire."

In addition to raising the ire of Mayor David Ortega, the incident also raises some questions about the police response: neighbors were shocked to see three officers pointing rifles at the party house.

And an officer pointed his rifle at a car with a reported gunman speeding away, but did not pursue it.

A police spokesman said the responding officers correctly followed department procedures.

"Airbnb gold!"

A real estate listing for the four-bedroom, two-bath East Kimsey Lane home listed for $849,000 calls it "Airbnb GOLD!"

"PREVIOUSLY UTILIZED AS A THRIVING VACATION RENTAL PROPERTY!! ASTUTE INVESTORS — THIS ONE MAY BE FOR YOU!!," the ad shouts.

Calling for an end to "short-term rental chaos" in Scottsdale, Ortega recently sent out a press release decrying "pop-up hotels" where "there have been tragedies, there have been shootings, there have been huge drug busts."

He said he is hoping for "the Arizona legislature to return to cities the tools we need to protect the safety of our neighborhoods."

The neighborhood next to Vista del Camino Park in South Scottsdale was the latest to be rocked by raucous, violent partiers.

In the early hours of July 5, residents of the cul-de-sac off 77th Street might have thought the gunshots were fireworks being set off — until they heard screams and then sirens from multiple police vehicles racing to a scene in answer to 911 calls reporting "gunshots in an area associated with a large gathering of people and vehicles."

Fast response

The first officer on the scene saw a white Dodge Charger — which one witness said was related to the shooting.

The officer "Pointed my rifle at the driver and ordered him to stop ... but the vehicle fled the scene."

The officer did not chase the vehicle but "broadcasted the license plate for the white Dodge (Charger) and got a clear view of the driver."

As the Charger was driving away, "a group of females that were running ... yelled at me to stop the vehicle and that the shooter was in the vehicle."

Rather than pursuing the Charger, the officer said he "pointed my patrol rifle at the front door" of the home and two more officers joined the first in pointing rifles at the entrance as partygoers exited.

The first responding officer "followed procedure correctly" in not following the Charger, according to Aaron Bolin, a Scottsdale Police Department spokesman.

"Pursuing vehicles involves numerous considerations based around the nature of the crime and dealing with an active scene," he said.

"When there is the threat of a deadly weapon but an unknown suspect," Bolin said, "officers are authorized to point their weapons at potential suspects to protect the community, bystanders and themselves."

Indeed, one man who apparently tried to blend into the crowd was discovered with a gun — and later charged as one of the shooters.

The first arriving officers found multiple casings in the street outside the party house.

"Upon arrival, I noticed a couple of cars leaving and several subjects out in the middle of the road," one officer wrote in a report. "They were yelling 'the police (are) here' and several subjects jumped in vehicles and left and other subjects ran back inside the suspect residence."

"The people inside were having a party at an Airbnb," another officer who responded wrote in a report. "After placing people in handcuffs, my next role was scene security."

Witness stories

One witness interviewed by police said he initially heard two gunshots around 2:15 a.m. — followed by "what sounded like a gun battle."

The witness told police he "heard a bullet 'whiz' over his head. (The witness) stated he knew what a bullet flying past him sounded like due to serving in the Vietnam War."

Two witnesses said they were outside the party house when they saw a man in a ski mask crouched behind a Range Rover holding a gun. The witnesses fled inside the house begging to be let in as they heard gunshots behind them.

One Airbnb renter told police "they were just trying to have a small party" but "too many guests kept arriving."

She was "attempting to usher people out of the house when she heard gunshots," according to the report.

Another witness said she saw a young man she didn't know enter the party and "drop a handgun while rolling a marijuana joint." The gun didn't go off, and he laughed as he picked it up.

Most of those detained were released after questioning, except for one man found with a 9 mm handgun.

Tyreele Craig told police the gun belonged to a friend who was also at the party. After first refusing to give his name and provide clear answers, he was put in a police car and apologized for his behavior, telling an officer he was drunk — but continuing to deny he fired the gun found on him.

Craig was arrested for failing to provide his name to a police officer and discharging a firearm within city limits,

Related homicide

While investigating the Kimsey Lane shooting, Scottsdale detectives put out a general call to other departments asking if any gunshot victims had been reported.

They quickly heard from Phoenix Police that "gunshot victims had been taken to St. Joseph's Medical Hospital."

One victim, Abriana Ma'Kehia Paxton, 21, died.

"This was a woman who was believed to have been at the Airbnb on Kimsey (Lane) earlier," according to Scottsdale Police. "It was unknown whether these victims suffered gunshot wounds at Kimsey Lane or another known shooting location in Maryvale or West Phoenix."

Earlier police response

According to an incident summary, "Sgt. (Eric) Bolles of the Short-Term Rental Squad was out here at this address monitoring this party just before midnight."

The Kimsey Lane party was on Bolles' radar after he discovered "an entertainer known as 'DJ Sauce' made social media posts that a large party would be happening there."

According to Bolles, "During the evening hours I responded to multiple calls for service attempting to locate the house and stop the event."

When he responded to a complaint about "suspicious activity" at the Kimsey Lane party shortly before midnight, one host told him "they were just having a small family gathering and didn't want any trouble," according to his report.

Bolles stated he showed the hosts photos of DJ Sauce's livestream "pointing a handgun at the screen multiple times. I told them (officers) would be coming back throughout the night to prevent a nuisance."

Bolles said he observed about eight people at the party and no loud music. He said he sat in his patrol car and watched the home for about a half-hour. "Only four more people arrived at the house, but many cars drove by."

"At this time, DJ Sauce updated his post and asked, 'Why are the cops looking for me?'"

Bolles wrote he left the scene of the party around 1 a.m.

By the time of the shooting, the party had grown to 50 people.

"The people who showed up to the party later and may have been involved in the shooting learned about the party from DJ Sauce," Bolles wrote.

Arrest, citations

"Our officers and detectives did an outstanding job on the Kimsey short-term rental shooting... both prior to the party and shooting and afterward in the investigation that led to the arrest of at least one shooter," Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther told the Progress.

"Sadly, even when our intelligence and enforcement efforts on short-term rental parties unfold exactly as designed, as in this case, there can still be violent acts that simply cannot be completely mitigated no matter how many resources we dedicate to this ever-evolving community issue."

The officer who pointed a gun at the fleeing Charger reviewed his body camera footage and, using the license plate number, found the owner.

On July 10, the Charger's owner, De'mahri Joshua Brown-Daniels, 22, was arrested on charges of unlawful flight from law enforcement.

DJ Sauce, the owner of the home and the man listed as an emergency contact all were charged with "unlawful use of a rental property" and allowing "an unlawful gathering."

One renter also received a citation.

As for Paxton, the homicide victim, Bolin said this week, "We have reason to believe she was at the Kimsey address."

Phoenix Police did not respond to a request for comment.