TULSA, Okla. — When chaos ensued inside a Tulsa Airbnb, two women ran to the house across the street. The homeowner, George DeShurley, caught them on camera.
One of the women asked DeShurley, through the Ring doorbell microphone, if he was home.
He was home but chose not to come out, with his safety in mind.
“We weren’t sure what was going on, it was really scary,” DeShurley said.
Over Labor Day weekend, the party inside the Airbnb quickly turned bad. Police say a star Union football player, Jarek Watie, was shot. He was released from the hospital Sept. 3rd.
“I was shocked there was an Airbnb that was rented out, then I was shocked there was a bunch of kids that were drinking and playing with guns,” Harold Dotson, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, said.
He said there have been few issues.
“No problem whatsoever other than occasional dog barking,” Dotson said.
“Sometimes [the owners are] not the best about screening who they’re renting out to,” Dotson said, “I’m sure this was a party that just got out of hand.”
Neighbors who live near an Airbnb and face an incident like this are largely powerless. They can call the police and fill out a disturbance form on Airbnb’s website, but other than those options, it is out of their control.
2 News made several attempts to reach the Airbnb corporate office. No one responded.
“It’s enough to get the cops here, but this just can’t happen,” DeShurley said, “We’re looking to move. This has been a safe area and it’s just unfortunate that we don’t feel safe here anymore.”
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
