- Credibility:
WICKER PARK — Officials are investigating an Airbnb rental property in Wicker Park after a shooting in the building over the weekend.
A 30-year-old man was shot in his leg about 1:40 a.m. Saturday at 1478 N. Milwaukee Ave. above Buffalo Exchange, according to police. The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
No one was in custody as of Tuesday and detectives were investigating, police spokeswoman Karie James said.
After the shooting, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) contacted the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The department investigated the property, dubbed the Aloha Bangtel and Aloha Mothership, Saturday night as part of a new task force aimed at breaking up mass gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a spokesperson said Wednesday.
The team tracks 311 and 911 complaints and social media to find and disperse parties.
However, it is not clear any such party was taking place at the Milwaukee Avenue residence. A city spokesperson said the unit was being rented Saturday but officials found no health or safety violations during their visit. They notified Airbnb to remove the listing from their site.
Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit said the host had a total of three listings within the building — two separate listings on two different floors, as well as a “Mothership” listing that combined both floors. It was initially the “Mothership” listing Airbnb removed from the site, he said.
None of the three listings were rented last Friday, he said, however it wasn’t immediately clear which unit was the site of the shooting.
An Airbnb Plus listing in the same building with the same host showed the $733 per night space was rented at least 78 times, and two reviews were left for visits in March of 2020. That listing has since been taken down.
The host, who has no other active listings in Chicago, is being investigated by the company, Breit said.
“This is rare that hosts do variations of listings like this,” he said. “We can confirm we are investigating the host, no question.
The city is investigating.
The property was advertised on Facebook but removed Thursday morning. Bangtel has an active Logan Square-based business license, according to city records. Reviews on VRBO and Airbnb say the space is often rented for bachelorette parties. The company’s website was down Thursday morning and its owner did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
In March, WGN featured Bangtel and described it as “the next generation travel concept in the realm of Airbnb.”
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