An 18-year-old and a 17-year-old boy were shot and killed early Sunday morning during a gunfight that broke out at a gathering inside a Lorain home being used as a short-term rental. Police say a 19-year-old man was arrested at the scene and now faces preliminary charges tied to the shooting on Washington Avenue near West 7th Court.
According to Cleveland.com, officers responded to the shooting around 3 a.m. Sunday and found the two teens fatally wounded. Investigators told the outlet that an argument escalated into a fight at the residence, which spilled into gunfire exchanged both inside the home and on a staircase outside. Police said they did not immediately identify the two victims because family members were still being notified.
Lorain police identified the arrested suspect as 19-year-old Alexander Gibbons, who was taken into custody at the scene, according to the Chronicle Telegram. Gibbons faces preliminary charges of felonious assault, discharging firearms into a habitation, and using weapons while intoxicated, though formal charges against him remain unfiled as Lorain County prosecutors continue reviewing the case, police said.
Gunfire Erupted Inside and on the Staircase
Lorain Police Department spokesperson Capt. Jacob A. Morris confirmed both teenage victims were pronounced dead at the scene despite immediate medical care, the Chronicle Telegram reported, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol assisted with perimeter traffic control during the response. Detectives recovered several guns, shell casings, and other physical evidence at the scene, according to Cleveland.com. Detectives noted that additional charges could still be filed as the investigation continues, per the same account.
The shooting took place at 725 Washington Avenue, a 2,242-square-foot multi-family home built in 1923 near downtown Lorain with six bedrooms and two bathrooms, according to property details reviewed by Zillow. Property records show the multi-family residence last sold in May 2021 for $95,000, per Howard Hanna listing data. A gathering was underway at the property, which was being used as a short-term rental, when the argument and shooting broke out, officers told Cleveland.com.
City Has Been Tightening Short-Term Rental Rules
The shooting arrives as Lorain has spent years working to tighten oversight of short-term rentals like the one on Washington Avenue. Lorain City Council passed its initial short-term rental ordinance in December 2023, requiring hosts to register units with the city, obtain permits, pay a 3% local bed tax, and provide off-street parking, according to the Medina Gazette. That measure passed on a 9-1 council vote after years of debate among property owners and residents.
In March 2025, city officials moved to shift oversight to an administrative process with mandatory background checks for owners and managers, aiming to make it easier to revoke permits from nuisance properties, the Chronicle Telegram reported. Officials modeled the proposed revocation rules after existing code in Columbus. It remains unclear which booking platform, if any, listed 725 Washington Avenue or whether the property was registered under Lorain's rental housing code. Major platforms like Airbnb have maintained a permanent global ban on disruptive parties and unauthorized events since June 2022, deploying automated screening technology that the company says helped cut party reports by 55% worldwide over two years, according to Airbnb.
Latest in a String of Fatal Shootings Involving Young People
Sunday's shooting adds to a troubling pattern of gun violence involving young people in Lorain. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data for 2024, released last September, showed Lorain's violent crime rate at 581 incidents per 100,000 residents — roughly 65% above the national average — with two homicides recorded that year, according to PlainCrime.
The Washington Avenue corridor has seen fatal gun violence before: in July 2019, a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed on the 500 block of Washington Avenue, an incident that led to murder charges against another teenager, according to WKYC. And just three weeks before Sunday's shooting, Lorain police arrested a 16-year-old suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a 67-year-old man found dead inside his Lorain home, as Hoodline previously reported.
No further details on the victims have been released as police continue notifying family members. The investigation remains active, and it is unclear whether additional arrests or charges will follow as Lorain County prosecutors review the case.
