‘Inches Away’: Neighbors react to bullets flying through windows in Airbnb shootout
By Lydia Blackstone
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SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — A late-night shootout at a short-term rental home in Savannah’s Southside rattled residents earlier this month, as bullets tore through vehicles and pierced into homes — coming just inches from hitting people inside.
The gunfire erupted around 2 a.m. on Sept. 14 outside an Airbnb rental on Whitefield Avenue, where a group of teenagers had gathered for a birthday party, according to a Chatham County Police Department report. Neighbors say they heard far more than the 20 rounds noted in the police report.
One resident, Michael Woodcock, said a stray bullet missed his mother and their dog by mere inches while they were sleeping.
“It was inches — inches away,” Woodcock said. “If it had gone just a little farther, it could have hit my mom or the dog.”
Newly released security footage from the neighborhood shows chaos erupting outside the home. According to the police report, partygoers told officers that a group of about six Black males — not known to them — entered the property and coaxed others outside before shots were fired.
By the time police arrived, the suspects had fled.
In one video clip, a bullet hole can be seen in the back of a parked car, the round having gone entirely through the vehicle. But residents say the greater concern is what happened inside their homes.
A bullet entered another woman’s bedroom while she slept. She was not injured.
The Airbnb, police say, had been rented by a parent, but it was teens who occupied the home the night of the shooting. The property reportedly lacked security cameras, which neighbors argue is part of the problem.
“I wish we could find the specific perpetrators of this crime,” said Woodcock. “But beyond that, we’d like to see Airbnb hold their rentals to a higher standard.”
Airbnb has not responded to requests for comment.
Chatham County Police said the shooting is still under active investigation.
“Discharging a firearm in a residential area is a reckless act that could have devastating consequences,” the department said in a statement. “The people who committed this crime are potentially facing aggravated assault charges – even though there were no injuries.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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