Updated April 17, 2022 4:39 PM ET
A shooting at a party in Pittsburgh attended by as many as 200 people – many of whom were minors – left two minors dead and eight others injured by gunfire early on Sunday.
At least one of the gunshot victims was just 14 years old, Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott E. Schubert said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.
Schubert did not reveal the identities of the two deceased miners.
Authorities said the shooting happened around midnight at an Airbnb rental property on Suismon Street at Madison Avenue in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood. Due to the number of people present, the scene was chaotic, Schubert pointed out on several occasions.
“The large majority [at that party] were minors,” he said. Several weapons were also recovered and different casings from several firearms, he said. Police believe multiple shooters were involved.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement the city is using “all available resources” to find those responsible for Sunday’s shooting.
So far, no one has been arrested in connection with the shooting, but police are calling on party attendees to provide photos and video to help the investigation.
“It’s our top priority to find out who did this and get them off the streets,” Schubert said.
Investigators were still processing the scene Sunday afternoon. The crime scene is “very complex and very chaotic,” Schubert said.
Calls to the police reported multiple gunshots. There have been at least 90 bullets fired that investigators are aware of so far, Schubert said. But they believe there were many more shots fired at the scene inside and outside the building.
When emergency crews arrived shortly after 12.30pm, they were met by dozens of people running out of the house and some trying to flee by car. Police said some people suffered broken bones and cuts while jumping from the windows of the house to safety.
Schubert applauded police and other emergency personnel for arriving on the scene and taking control of the situation.
The shooting comes after a recent wave of violence
The shooting in Pittsburgh comes after a violent few weeks in the city. Schubert issued a statement earlier this monthsaying he was “deeply disturbed by the recent wave of violent crime” in Pittsburgh.
According to Pittsburgh Post GazetteSunday’s shooting was the fourth in less than 30 hours within the city limits. It was also the worst mass shooting in Pittsburgh since the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in 2018.
Gainey said in her statement Sunday that the city has been working for several weeks on a new approach to addressing gun violence. After the tragedy this weekend, he said he would call a meeting with public safety officials and community leaders to discuss a new plan.
“It is essential that we come together now to help reduce the violence that is happening now as we begin to do the long-term work to end the culture of violence that enables the senseless loss of life we are experiencing today. today,” he said. “We must say no more and never again.”
Airbnb reacts
Airbnb told NPR it contacted the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Mayor’s Office to help with the investigation.
The company said in a statement, “We condemn the behavior that allegedly caused this criminal gun violence. The booking guest has been banned for life from Airbnb and we will consider all legal options to hold this individual accountable.”
Airbnb prohibits all parties at all rental properties advertised there and said the party was held without the knowledge of the property host.
The shooting took place during a weekend of other high-profile shootings elsewhere in the country: nine people were shot dead and five suffered other injuries as they tried to flee a mall in Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday; and also in South Carolina, nine people were shot dead in a restaurant in the city of Fourman Sunday morning.
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