Shooting in Old Town Scottsdale Puts STR Problem Back in the Spotlight

Photo by Arianna Grainey

Old Town Scottsdale markets itself as a premier desert destination: upscale dining, luxury resorts, high-end retail. So a 2 a.m. gunfight spilling across two locations, resulting in five arrests and an officer-involved shooting, is not exactly the brand.

On the morning of May 7, Scottsdale police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired at a Circle K near Camelback Road and Miller Road. Officers found evidence that multiple rounds had been fired, many of which struck the building. About 30 minutes into the investigation, more gunfire erupted near the Maya Condominium complex east of the Circle K. One suspect, 20-year-old Christian Santiago Grant, was found hiding inside a clothes dryer at a nearby home on Miller Road. By May 9, five men had been booked on felony charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, misconduct involving weapons, and resisting arrest.

The STR Connection

Here’s where it gets complicated for the city. Neighbors at the Maya Condominiums told reporters they believe the party connected to the shooting was taking place at a short-term rental unit. That’s not a surprising conclusion given the complex’s makeup. Real estate listings for Maya openly advertise it as an Airbnb and VRBO approved complex with no restrictions on short-term rentals. According to Scottsdale political activist group Protect Scottsdale, a review of the STR density map shows the Maya complex is overwhelmingly comprised of short-term rental units: essentially a de facto hotel operating without the oversight that actual hotels face.

One visitor staying at the condos acknowledged the challenge: “I don’t know if there is something Airbnb can do or the host can do to screen the people they rent to. But it’s hard to control who is coming into an Airbnb when they rent.”

A Pattern the City Can’t Ignore

This is not an isolated incident. Old Town’s nightlife corridor has seen a series of violent incidents in recent years, and the concentration of unregulated short-term rentals in the immediate area is increasingly part of the conversation. STRs with no residency accountability, rotating guests, and party-friendly proximity to bars create conditions that permanent residents and long-term tenants don’t. Arizona state law significantly limits what cities can do to regulate STRs: Scottsdale has pushed for more authority at the legislature with limited success.

The Maya shooting gives that debate new urgency. Five felony arrests and a man shot by police is not a rounding error. It is a public safety argument with a very specific address.