A white homeowner in San Jose, California, is facing felony charges—and may face additional hate crime counts—after cops say he shot and wounded an unarmed Black man who was renting a nearby Airbnb. Mark Waters, 66, allegedly opened fire on the 21-year-old victim in an “unprovoked attack” the night of Oct. 2, as the unidentified man walked from his rental to a local grocery store, according to a news release issued Friday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney. The man tried to run, but “Waters shot him while his back was turned,” the release states, describing “serious injuries to the victim’s leg.” In an emailed statement to The Daily Beast, an Airbnb spokesperson said, “We condemn this vicious and unprovoked attack. We thank the San Jose Police Department as well as the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for their work to hold the perpetrator accountable and to send a message that hate crimes have no place in our society.” What led up to the incident remains unclear, and a spokeswoman for the DA’s office told The Daily Beast that court records related to the case will not be publicly available until next week. Reached by phone on Friday, Waters, who is free on bail, declined to comment on the allegations against him.
