Pittsburgh police responded to an Airbnb party at a North Side home to a noise complaint just 90 minutes before a shooting left two teens dead and eight other revelers with gunshot wounds.
Pittsburgh police confirmed Monday that officers were called to the scene to a noise complaint around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Spokeswoman Cara Cruz said officers asked the man who answered the door to call the owner. A man who identified himself as the owner met police at the door, but “the habitable and visible part of the house where the party was held is on the second floor, out of sight of the door,” Cruz said. .
The authorities said at least 200 peoplemany of whom were minors, were at the party.
Cruz said officers asked the man to turn the music down and he complied. She said officers told the man that if they were called to the address again they would end the party. She said there were no more noise complaints after that.
The shooting began shortly before 12:40 a.m., according to police radio transmission records. Shortly after police were dispatched to the scene of the shooting, an officer noted on air, “Be advised, there’s a really big party going on at 900 Madison Ave. which we checked out earlier.”
Authorities have identified the boys who were killed as Mathew Steffy-Ross, of Pitcairn, and Jaiden Brown, a student at Woodland Hills High School. Both were 17 years old.
Stephen Long Sr. leases the other portion of the property at 900 Madison Ave. He said guests have complained about noise from the other unit before, but “nothing of that nature.”
He said guests staying in his unit on Saturday night texted him saying the noise from the party was out of control. They said they called 911 and finally decided to leave. Long said he couldn’t imagine the noise could be so severe that it would force them out.
“I’m just glad they got out of there when they decided to get out of there,” he said.
He said his unit suffered damage – doors were kicked in and several windows had bullet holes, he said.
A neighbour, Mitchell Wilston, said at 11 p.m. Saturday – around the same time police responded to the noise complaint – the area was packed with cars and people were queuing outside to get in in the party.
He noted the police presence but said no effort was made to disperse the party.
“It was chaos,” he said.
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