Atlantic Avenue resident says street was typically quiet; Airbnb brought strangers to neighborhood

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – “These weren’t even people from our neighborhood,” said an Atlantic Avenue resident who wants to remain anonymous.

Some Atlantic Avenue neighbors are uneasy about the Airbnb home.

“I heard someone say, I’m shot I’m shot, I need to go to the hospital.”

The resident said on Friday night.

The neighbor lives just a few houses down from the home where five people were shot on Tuesday and says she watched it unfold from her bedroom window. The neighborhood is still recovering, people were hesitant to open their doors for comment.

She relived what she saw when those five people were shot inside a home registered as an Airbnb. One of those people, 24-year-old Jahkeem Douglas died.  

She says the neighborhood is generally quiet, but has seen and heard large parties at that house before. She said,  it’s a little uncomfortable, seeing random people on her street for that Airbnb.

“I was crawling towards the window and then I heard [gunshot noises] and there was no way it could be fireworks.”

People who live along Atlantic Avenue and Illinois Street say it’s typically quiet. That was not the case Tuesday night, some neighbors say they heard screams of terror and more than 20 gun shots go off.

“There were so many people just running down the sidewalk, jumping in their vehicles taking off and running towards Main Street, I ran downstairs to make sure my doors were still locked.”

The house is registered as an Airbnb. The city confirmed, Rochester Firefighter Mazzeo Mouzo is the owner. Up until the shooting, his record with the Airbnb has been clean. Tuesday night, police say 20 to 30 people were inside the home filming a music video for a murder victim, when shots went off.

City officials say Mouzo will be held responsible. He has been issued 10 nuisance points. If he gets two more, he won’t be able to rent out the property for one year. Neighbors say this is not the first party at that house.

“I mean it was an Airbnb, you know like these weren’t even people from our neighborhood. There have been loud parties at weird days of the week, and I know police have been called there before, because you can see them parked out front.”

This neighbor says from her point of view as a homeowner, having an Airbnb in the area is unsettling because of all the random people she sees, and what she saw out her window during Tuesday night’s shooting.

“I saw someone who was hollering something at him, and he pulled his arm back like he still had a gun and he was going to shoot someone coming for him.”

We got a statement from Airbnb. A spokesperson says they ban parties and party houses. The person who booked the house has been removed from Airbnb along with the listing. They are also working with RPD to help bring those responsible to justice.