(MENAFN) At least nine individuals, including minors, were wounded during a shooting at an Airbnb rental hosting a house party in Bath Township, near Akron, Ohio, according to media reports on Sunday.

The episode has intensified concerns over safety at short-term rental gatherings, media reported.

In a statement to media, Airbnb expressed sorrow over the violence, saying it was “heartbroken by this senseless act of gun violence.”

“Unauthorized and disruptive gatherings are strictly prohibited on Airbnb,” the company added, noting that its safety team “acted immediately to remove the account of the individual who deliberately broke those rules by booking this stay.”

Airbnb also stated that its law enforcement response unit is cooperating closely with Bath Township Police Chief Michael Sinopoli to aid the investigation.

Sunday’s shooting is the second at an Airbnb property in Bath Township since July 2017, when a drive-by shooting at a party left one man injured, according to a newspaper.

The latest incident comes just days after Airbnb introduced AI-driven “anti-party” technology in the U.S. and Canada, designed to prevent high-risk gatherings, particularly during the Halloween period.

The system uses machine-learning algorithms that evaluate factors like reservation duration, property type, booking timing, and distance from the guest’s home to determine the likelihood of unauthorized parties.

Last Halloween, Airbnb’s safeguards blocked 38,000 bookings in the U.S. and 6,300 in Canada. The company also permanently banned all parties globally in 2022 following a series of shooting incidents.

“Strong policies must be complemented by strong enforcement,” Airbnb said, underscoring its ongoing efforts to curb unsafe gatherings.

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