A Phoenix house that was hit in a drive-by shooting that left five teenagers injured had been listed on Opendoor, local outlets report.
The house, located near the intersection of 87th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, had been the site of a Halloween party on the night between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. At three bedrooms and two bathrooms, it had been listed on Opendoor.com for $265,000.
According to Phoenix police, the home had been sitting vacant when some teens found it and made it the site of their Halloween party. The five victims were standing outside when a dark colored Dodge Charger of an older model drove by and fired a series of bullets toward the house.
“One o’clock in the morning we heard gunfire,” neighbor Martha Garcia told azfamily.com. “It was a whole round — maybe 12 bullets. And a few seconds later, maybe 30 seconds later, we heard a car just speed off really fast.”
The victims include an 18-year-old woman, a 19-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys, one of whom is currently in critical condition after being shot. Witnesses later observed casing rounds and a trail of dried blood on the property’s sidewalk.
Arizona police are currently asking anyone who witnessed the shooting for information about the suspect, who fled the scene in the Dodge after shooting at the teenagers. The police said that they are not sure how the teens gained access to the house. It is also not known whether the shooting was a targeted or random attack.
According to azfamily.com, two security guards have monitored the home since the shooting and took down the Opendoor for-sale sign for the time being. Last month, Inman reported that iBuyers like Opendoor, which allow potential viewers to gain access to homes listed for sale through an app, often attract squatters and those who want to enter the house to party.
In September, Arizona police arrested a couple found squatting in an Opendoor house with two kids.
“Ensuring the safety of our customers, our neighbors, and our communities is one of the most important things we do every day at Opendoor,” an Opendoor spokesperson said in a statement following the incident. “When Opendoor receives reports of unauthorized or suspicious activity in our homes, we immediately investigate and refer matters to law enforcement when appropriate. We are aware of police activity at an Opendoor home in Phoenix. Police have let us know that this is an open and ongoing investigation, with which we’re fully cooperating.”
