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Teen shot at Little Elm house party
A teen is recovering after being shot at a birthday party in Little Elm last weekend, and it has residents asking why a party was being thrown at a rental property to begin with. FOX 4's Lori Brown has more.
LITTLE ELM, Texas - A shooting at a short term rental in Little Elm this past weekend has police still searching for a suspect and residents questioning why a party was allowed to be thrown at the rental.
Little Elm birthday party shooting
What we know:
On Friday, July 17, Little Elm Police Department officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire and juveniles running through a neighborhood near White Oak Drive and White Pine Drive at 11:30 p.m.
A preliminary investigation revealed the shooting stemmed from a birthday party at a short term rental home. Investigators determined that the majority of the attendees were students from Lewisville High School.
One juvenile sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and went to a local hospital before officers arrived on the scene, police said.
Authorities stated the shooting appears to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public. The Little Elm Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Frisco Police Department, Oak Point Police Department, and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.
What they're saying:
"It was extremely frightening," Kristin Iovinelli, a Little Elm resident who lives near where the shooting occurred, told FOX 4's Lori Brown.
Another neighbor told Brown that the teen who was shot ran across his driveway, leaving a trail of blood.
Dig deeper:
The Texas Neighborhood Coalition reports that this shooting was the 633rd such shooting at a short term rental in the United States since 2019.
"Unlike a hotel, there is no onsite staff or security to make sure there are not parties that fall on neighbors to be unpaid front desk staff," Jessica Black, the co-founder of the Texas Neighborhood Coalition, tells FOX 4.
"They have to report issues to police, but police triage calls and noise or nuisance is low priority."
Jessica Black
Airbnb launched an AI-powered technology to catch risky bookings, but Black says parties are happening as often as ever when booked through different platforms.
Following the incident, the Town of Little Elm issued a reminder to residents and visitors that town ordinances strictly prohibit parties and events at short term rental properties.
"These regulations are in place to help protect the safety and quality of life of our neighborhoods and to reduce the likelihood of incidents involving large, unsupervised gatherings," town officials said in a statement.
What's next:
Officials added that the town is currently reviewing potential enforcement action against the owners of the rental property. It' remains unclear who booked the rental.
The investigation remains active as detectives continue to interview witnesses and collect evidence. Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact the Little Elm Police Department.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Little Elm Police Department and FOX 4 reporting.