Pittsburgh police said Wednesday that multiple types of firearms, including a rifle, were used in Sunday’s shooting at an Airbnb party that left two teens dead and nine other people wounded.
Chief Scott Schubert had previously said ballistic evidence suggested that more than one person fired shots when gunfire broke out at the party shortly after 12:30 a.m.
Police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said in an email Wednesday that casings found at the rental unit at the corner of Suismon Street and Madison Avenue are from a number of guns, “including handguns and an AR-15-style weapon.”
Investigators have said there were about 200 people at the party, many of whom were under 21. An officer responded to the party around 11 p.m. for a noise complaint but saw nothing indicating trouble was brewing, Schubert has said. He said the officer asked to speak to a resident and then told the man who came to the door to turn down the music. The man complied, police said.
“There was nothing unusual to indicate that something was wrong,” Schubert told the Tribune-Review on Tuesday. “We have some information that shows that a lot of these people didn’t come until after midnight.”
About 90 minutes later, the shooting started. Investigators said at least 50 shots were fired inside the unit and just as many were fired outside. Mathew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown, both 17, died after being shot.
Nine other people were injured by gunfire and five others were hurt trying to escape.
Police have set up a link for witnesses to upload any videos and photos they might have from inside the rental. Videos have surfaced on social media showing the melee inside the rental when the shooting began.
“The lack of humanity of those who were pulling the trigger,” Schubert said in response to a question about what goes through a person’s mind when seeing that footage. “I’m thankful, grateful, that more people weren’t shot, more people weren’t killed.”
