Orinda shooting

The Orinda shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on October 31, 2019, during a house party celebrating Halloween in Orinda, California, United States. Five people were killed and four others were injured. The house had been rented for one night through Airbnb, which enacted a policy banning short-term rentals for Halloween parties two days later. Although several people were arrested a few weeks after the shooting, they were released without being charged and police have been unable to identify the perpetrators.

Location

The shooting occurred at a 4,000 sq ft (370 m2), four-bedroom house in Orinda, which was renting for $420 per night through Airbnb at the time of the party. The short-term rental was arranged by a woman who reportedly told the property owner that she was hosting a family reunion for 12 people and because some guests had asthma, they needed to gather at a location free of wildfire smoke. The shooting took place during the Kincade Fire, which was burning approximately 85 mi (137 km) north of Orinda. Since the rental was only for one night on Halloween, the owner told the renter that no parties were allowed.

In February 2019, the owners had advertised the house on Airbnb as suitable for large parties with 30 guests at a rate of $800 per day. One neighbor had complained in 2018 about short-term renters, who had parked in the street and blocked his driveway, and city records showed they had issued violations to the property in March 2019 for exceeding the maximum occupancy (two per bedroom plus three additional people) and illegal parking.