ST. LOUIS — A 15-year-old is recovering after police say he was shot in the back at a short-term rental in the Downtown West neighborhood.
Things were quiet Monday at the intersection of N. 21st Street and Lucas Avenue, but those who live in the area say it was a much different scene early Sunday morning.
“I heard a variety of shots,” said a man who asked not to be identified. “It was something. I thought it was the Fourth of July.”
According to a spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, there have been 53 calls for service to the area in the past year.
Bullet holes were visible in windows on the building and a car parked nearby, but of greater concern to Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge is that a 15-year-old was shot in the back.
“Hopefully the individual is ok,” Aldridge said. “With these tragic situations, we hear about them too much, especially at summertime.”
St. Louis police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but early indications are that the incident started at a short-term rental.
“AirBnB’s are not meant to be party places,” Aldridge said. “They’re not meant to be spaces where there’s 25-30 people in there having a party with no supervision.”
In 2023, the City of St. Louis attempted to crack down on short term rentals by passing legislation requiring multiple night stays, capping the number of short-term rentals an individual can operate, and requiring rental owners to register for the city.
“There was really no requirements or accountability measures to be able to close these AirBnB’s,” Aldridge said. “There is now.”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed the legislation into law in November, but Aldridge said it could be at least another year before an online registration portal is up and running.
“With the transaction of a new building commissioner we always said it was going to take a year,” Aldridge said. “I know it’s not helpful for most residents to hear, but it takes time to set up this infrastructure to make sure it’s right.”
Originally, the plan was to have the online portal for short term rentals up and running by the end of Nov. 4, 2024.
Since short term rental owners have a six-month grace period to register, Aldridge said it will most likely be 2025 before the program is fully implemented in the city.