Man arrested in fatal house party shooting at Airbnb rental
SUNNYVALE >> An 18-yearold Sunnyvale man was arrested Dec. 15 on suspicion of murder in the August house party shooting that killed one person and injured another.
The suspect was arrested Dec. 15 at a house on the 1000 block of Aster Avenue, Sunnyvale police said in a news release. Investigators executed a search warrant and recovered multiple handguns and ammunition at the home, police said.
Authorities did not say how they came to identify the suspect as the shooter.
The man, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, according to authorities. The Bay Area News Group is not identifying him by name because he was a minor at the time of the alleged crime.
On Aug. 7, 150 to 200 people attended a house party on the 1400 block of Navaro Drive, according to Sunnyvale police. The property was used as an Airbnb rental but was not registered as required by city law.
Police responded to a report of a large party and heard gunshots coming from the house, authorities said. Officers found two men who had suffered gunshot wounds.
Both men were taken to a local hospital, where one later died.
The man who died was later identified as 18-yearold Elias Elhania.
Police are still investigating who hosted the party, according to Sunnyvale
Department of Public Safety Capt. Dan Pistor. The house has been owned since 2014 by Ke Zhou, of Maryland, according to property records. A neighbor said Zhou rented out the home as an Airbnb and hadn’t lived there for at least three years.
Prior to the party, flyers circulated on social media referring to the event as “Turn Up Pt. 2” and mentioned an entry fee for attendees.
The fatal shooting spurred the Sunnyvale city council in September to brainstorm ways to rework its short-term rental ordinance, including enhanced registration requirements and larger fines.
As of Dec. 16, the council still was reviewing the ordinance, including host requirements and fines, according to city spokeswoman Jennifer Garnett. Council members discussed the local law at a study session this week, and the issue will return to the council at a later time,
Garnett said.
The killing marked at least the fourth shooting at an Airbnb party house in less than two years in Northern California, including a 2019 shooting in Orinda on Halloween that left five people dead and others injured.
Airbnb vowed to crack down on “party-house rentals” after the Orinda shooting, barring guests under the age of 25 from booking entire homes in their local area if they have any negative reviews or less than three positive reviews. The company also said it would place new protocols to prevent unauthorized guests and excessive noise.
Parties were banned by the host of the Sunnyvale house in her property rules and that the event was thrown without her consent, and Airbnb spokesperson said in August. The listing was deactivated after the shooting.