Airbnb 'hostel' shooting, Milwaukee man charged

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused in connection to what prosecutors described as an Airbnb "hostel" shooting in August.

Prosecutors have now charged 18-year-old Tristan Brown with one count of first-degree reckless injury. Court records show he posted $2,000 bond and was released from custody on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

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Police were called to the scene near 28th and Vine, where the 25-year-old victim had been shot in the leg. According to a criminal complaint, he said he was staying at an Airbnb that was "operating as a ‘hostel’ type rental."

The victim told police he went downstairs toward a common kitchen to get some water and saw some other people in the living area, per the complaint. He said one of those people – since identified as Brown – approached him with a gun.

Court filings state Brown asked the victim who he was and why he was there, believing he had rented the entire home through Airbnb. When the victim explained that individual rooms were rented, as opposed to the entire house, he said Brown accused him of "looking through (expletive) and told him to leave.

The Airbnb house manager told police the victim was training to be a house manager and was staying in one of the rooms, according to the complaint. He said Brown rented a room for one night and let police look at surveillance video from inside the common areas.

Prosecutors said the video showed Brown confront the victim while following him around with what appeared to be a gun concealed in his waistband. When Brown grabbed at the weapon, the victim "laughed," said he was "not scared" and "has his own."

Brown then lunged toward the victim, according to court filings. The victim then turned around to reach for the weapon, which went off. The two then began to struggle over the gun, during which Brown put the victim in a headlock. Another person picked up the gun, which had fallen to the ground, and Brown could be heard telling that person to "pop one in (the victim's) head."

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Detectives received information from Airbnb in October as the result of a court-ordered subpoena for Brown's account information, according to court filings. That led officers to conduct a records search, and they located Brown in early December.

Once in custody, the complaint states Brown told detectives he thought he rented the entire lower level. He said he saw the victim and confronted him, claiming the victim was "aggressive" and "rude." He said he took the victim's mention of having a gun as a threat.

Brown told detectives he didn't report what happened because he wasn't supposed to have a gun, per the complaint. He also admitted that a gun that was apparently hidden in a bathroom window when he was arrested was the same gun he had at the Airbnb. 

"It definitely did feel a little heartbreaking to know something literally directly across the street was popping off," said Breanna Taylor, who lives nearby. "I think when you have instances like that when people may not know what they are renting and it’s not clear it can cause a bit of a frustration."

Airbnb provided the following statement:

"We condemn this senseless act of gun violence and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation. We removed the account of the individual responsible and quickly provided refunds and rebooking assistance to all other guests affected by this event."