Halloween shooting kills four people in California

ORINDA, Calif. — Four people were killed and several wounded at a Halloween party shooting at a Northern California home rented by a woman who falsely claimed she wanted the Airbnb so her asthmatic family members could escape wildfire smoke, officials and a person with knowledge of the transaction said Friday.

Gunshots were reported at about 10:45 p.m. Thursday at the large home in the wealthy San Francisco suburb of Orinda where more than 100 people had gathered, police said.

The home had been rented on Airbnb by a woman who told the owner her dozen family members needed a place with fresh air, the person with knowledge of the transaction told the Associated Press.

A one-night rental on Halloween was suspicious enough that before agreeing to rent the home, the owner reminded the renter that no parties were allowed, said the person, who was not authorized to publicly disclose the information and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The renter, whose name and hometown have not been disclosed, told the homeowner that her family members had asthma and needed a place with fresh air. A giant wildfire burning in Sonoma County about 60 miles north of Orinda earlier in the week forced tens of thousands to evacuate and fouled the air over a wide area.

It’s not clear what prompted the shooting and no suspects had been arrested by Friday afternoon.

Another Halloween party, in a rural area east of Salt Lake City, also ended in violence and left two men dead. A 22-year-old man was fatally stabbed and a 23-yearold man was shot to death at the party near the town of Roosevelt, Utah, where about 20 people were drinking, said Duchesne County Sheriff Travis Tucker. Police had no motive and had made no arrests.