HOUSTON — A young couple in east Houston said they were almost killed in February when shots rang out at a party next door. They said the property where the shots rang out was rented out through Airbnb.
"We hadn’t even paid our first mortgage payment," the homeowner said. "It’s my first home I’ve ever bought.”
The woman asked that her name not be used for this story. She and her husband hadn't even lived at the home for a month before they said they nearly died.
“We definitely could’ve been killed and I’m lucky to be alive," the woman said.
The woman showed KHOU 11 security video taken from a neighbor’s home across the street. Cars were seen coming from another townhouse in the complex which is a short-term rental. She said the guests at the home were hosting a party like they do on many nights but this party ended in a fight -- a gunfight.
"You can see him with the semi-automatic rifle," she said.
The young couple was caught in the middle of the shooting. Inside the home, the couple jumped out of bed and called the police but the partiers from the Airbnb scrambled and drove off before the cops arrived.
“To the left of that door, see that gray patch, that’s a bullet hole," the woman said while pointing out the damage her home sustained. In the daylight, they were able to get a better picture of how lucky they were.
“We just put tape over it for the time being," the woman said.
The couple counted 20 bullets that hit their home. Most of them didn’t penetrate the stucco, but several did. One was stuck between two panes of glass in a window.
“There are four in this room," she said. "It’s really bad.”
In the kitchen, bullets went through the dishwasher and other appliances.
“You can see the hole where it hit my air fryer," she said.
And in their bedroom, one of the bullets went through the wall next to the headboard of their bed.
“We’re looking at about five grand in damages in our home," the woman said.
For the past two months, the woman said she had been trying to get a response from Airbnb about the damages to their home. The woman said she finally got a call from the Airbnb's claims adjuster one hour after they were contacted by KHOU 11.
A follow-up email from the claims adjuster reads, in part: "As I stated on a claim like this where the host is not the negligent party that caused the damages, there is typically no liability. We recommend that you reach out to your homeowner’s carrier to file a claim for your damages. I will however discuss this claim with management to see what our final decision will be.”
As she waits for a decision, the woman said her hands are tied and the parties continue to happen.
“Airbnb, Airbnb, Airbnb, that’s also an Airbnb to the left,” the woman said as she pointed to the other buildings in her townhome complex. “Yeah, we’re surrounded. There was a bachelorette party here last weekend.”
She said that if she and her husband had known who their neighbors would be before they bought the home, they’d have never moved in.
The Houston Police Department said it's still investigating the shootout and no arrests have been made. If anyone has information on the shooting, police ask that you call HPD’s major assaults division, go to your nearest substation, call Crime Stoppers or get the information to police any way you can.