Beverly Crest triple shooting: Residents in area demand further regulations to short-term rentals

BEVERLY CREST (KABC) -- Early Saturday morning, residents of a quiet Beverly Crest neighborhood located up Benedict Canyon were awaken by what they say sounded like machine gun fire.

Seven people were shot, three of whom were killed outside a short-term rental on Ellison Drive.

"It makes me very sad and scared, and I have a really uncomfortable feeling being in the neighborhood," said resident Jill Schwartz. "This morning at 10 a.m., I didn't know if I should walk the dog or not."

READ MORE | At least 3 killed, 4 others wounded in Beverly Crest shooting, police say

Now, residents are demanding the city of Los Angeles further regulate short-term rentals.

"I'm not surprised," said Rachel David, who lives around the corner from where the triple murder happened. "Every time there's a rental with people we don't know, the cops get called. It's not the first time."

The Benedict Canyon homeowners association said this was the third time homicides have occurred at short-term rentals in their neighborhood in the past two-and-a-half years.

Bill Curtis has lived in what he refers to as "the Beverly Hills Post Office neighborhood" for more than 50 years.

"The owners of the house relocated to Miami," he said. "We didn't know if they sold it or not. However, we found it in the last couple of days that it was a one-year rental and whoever had rented it for a year was [subletting] it out. It's a problem because you don't know who your neighbors are going to be for two days."

The three people killed, who were all women, were in a vehicle outside the home and have been identified as Destiny Sims from Buckeye, Arizona, Nenah Davis from Chicago, and Iyana Hutton.

Hutton's mother told WLS-TV, our sister station in Chicago, her daughter was visiting L.A. with Davis, her best friend, to attend an album release party for a rapper.

Hutton was an up-and-coming rap artist herself, according to her mom, and was excited to make the trip.

"It's sad," said David. "The girls were my age in that car. I could have been at the party to. It's so sad and horrible."

Meanwhile, the suspects remain on the run.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.