Teenager Killed at Northside Rental Party

Rising Concerns Over Short-Term Rentals in Indianapolis Apartment Complex

Residents of The Grounds, an apartment complex located at East 21st Street and North Central Avenue in Indianapolis, have been voicing their concerns for months about the growing presence of short-term rentals. These rentals, they claim, are taking over unleased units and bringing in strangers who disrupt the peaceful environment of the building. Despite repeated complaints to management, no meaningful action has been taken.

One resident shared her experience, stating that she noticed unfamiliar faces at a nearby pool on multiple occasions. “I started to realize that people who don’t live here on a long term were here on a regular basis,” she said. Another neighbor, who has professional experience in property leasing, expressed frustration with the lack of proper screening. “At first, they said it was corporate leases. I explained to them that I knew what a corporate lease was and it didn’t check the boxes of a corporate lease.”

The situation took a tragic turn when four gunshots were heard on the fourth floor of the building at 2136 North Central Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Police later found Xavion Whitlow, a 17-year-old, dead from a bullet wound. His grandmother, Sharon Cannon, described the events leading up to the shooting. “He was invited to this party by someone, and all of his friends told him, ‘Don’t go, don’t go,’ because they had a feeling that this guy was gonna be there.” According to witnesses, the shooter believed their conflict had been resolved, but it clearly wasn’t.

Cannon mentioned that witnesses provided the family with the shooter’s nickname, which has now been passed on to homicide detectives. Whitlow, a high school basketball player at George Washington High School, was just beginning his senior year. Neighbors confirmed that the apartment was rented out for one night for the birthday party of a nineteen-year-old woman.

One resident recounted the moment when Whitlow’s relatives arrived to see his body being loaded into an IEMS ambulance. “It’s beyond traumatizing. I can’t seem to get her screams out of my head and I can’t imagine what the family is going through,” she said. She also recalled a resident’s account of hearing the aftermath of the shooting. “She said essentially through her vent she could hear him dying and there was silence and there was a lot of noises and sort of a shuffle and a scuffle and she heard loud voices saying, ‘Run, run,’ or ‘Go.’”

Three neighbors told FOX 59/CBS4 that they had raised concerns with building management several months ago about the influx of strangers brought in by short-term rentals. One man described how the issue became more apparent in mid-June, when he noticed a constant flow of suitcases every Friday, Sunday, and even during the week. “A big driving factor for me was All-Star weekend for the WNBA. I’ve never seen the area so littered with cars.”

Another neighbor shared her experience with the application process for short-term rentals. “If I have a valid driver’s license and am over the age of 18 and I had a credit card to put down, I can short-term lease for one night.” This lack of screening, she added, raises serious concerns about safety.

Requests for comment from the apartment management company were not returned. However, one resident emphasized the urgency of the situation. “If people weren’t concerned yet, I think a sixteen-year-old dying on the property should be enough to concern everyone in the vicinity.”

A year ago, the City County Council passed a short-term rental ordinance requiring landlords to pay a one-time $150 fee to register their units. However, neither of the building addresses reported by neighbors as hosting short-term rentals are listed on the city’s registry. This discrepancy highlights a potential loophole in the current system, leaving residents vulnerable to similar incidents in the future.