INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Sixteen people were behind bars Thursday and 12 guns were confiscated because of a shooting at a short-term rental property in Fountain Square.

Clay Daugherty told I-Team 8 he saw at least 40 people running from the short-term rental just moments after the gunfire.

Later, Daugherty and his neighbor stood across the street from the short-term rental talking about the chaotic scene and their frustration at the person who owns the home. “I think the owner knew there was a problem potentially coming and didn’t do anything to stop it and that’s not good for the neighborhood,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty counted at least 20 shots. He called police as people ran away.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officers arrived quickly. IMPD said some people got away.

Officers arrested 15 people for visiting a common nuisance, and one person for possessing a gun while being a felon.

Commander Roland Hicks of IMPD’s Southeast District said of the gun arrest, “He had a machine gun conversion device on a handgun that had a 50-round drum magazine clip in it. So, obviously he could have done a lot of damage with that.”

Is this a classic example of why these sorts of parties at short-term rental properties can be so dangerous? IMPD saw 30 people running, arrested 16, and collected 12 handguns. That’s a lot of potential violence packed into a very small space.

Hicks responded, “Yeah, absolutely, that’s why it is so concerning. So, we have parties, people have parties all the time that don’t result in violence, and we’re grateful for that, but there are enough of these that do end up resulting in violence.”

IMPD is trying to crack down on parties like the one early Thursday morning.

A prime example of that is their arrest of Jalen Helm.

Helm was charged with 18 felonies and 13 misdemeanors in connection to him promoting 11 parties in 2023 at short-term rental properties. Many of of those parties turned violent, including someone being murdered.

The parties with violence are what IMPD is trying to stop. Hicks said, “We’re trying to do everything we can to try to prevent it before it gets started, so if we get wind of somebody hosting a party, sounds like a big party at one of these. We’ll reach out to them.”

Daugherty runs a short-term rental himself. He told I-Team 8 the ultimate fix to this problem has to come from everyone involved, “It’s not like one thing’s going to solve it, but, ultimately, personal accountability. I think everybody needs to take a look at themselves and look at how they’re going to do better.”

Property tax records show the house in Fountain Square is owned by someone who lives in Delphi, about a 80-minute drive northeast of downtown Indianapolis. I-Team 8 reached out to the owner for a comment, but no one had called back as of late Thursday afternoon.

IMPD said Thursday it was investigating to find out if the early Thursday morning party was part of a bigger party-promotion ring, as in the Helm case, or if this was a one-off event.