In Orinda, any indication that, less than a month ago, dozens of people jumped from windows and off of balconies to escape gunfire are nearly erased. The house on the narrow private road where five people were shot and killed during a party on Halloween night is almost free of debris. All that remains are a couple of sparse empty bottles of alcohol and Halloween costume accessories strewn across a leaf-covered backyard.

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But the grief for what happened in this small, upper-middle-class community in San Francisco’s Bay area on the night of 31 October is still fresh, and the families of Omar Taylor, 24; Oshiana Thompkins, 19; Tiyon Farley, 22; Javlin County, 29; and Raymon Hill Jr, 23, are still searching for answers. Convicting the person or people involved in the shooting will probably be a long, complicated process.

“Right now the families are consumed with a lot of grief and coping with this tremendous loss,” said Adante Pointer, an attorney who is representing four of the five families who lost a loved one.

“You can imagine the pain that this is causing,” Pointer continued. “The mothers of some of the young men’s children have to explain to their child that their father isn’t coming home. It’s been devastating.”

“Mr Taylor told me what he went through to raise a young man and help him avoid situations that could result in something like this,” he said of Omar Taylor’s father. “His son was there DJing, working, minding his business, a true innocent.”

Taylor was one of three people found dead after dozens of shots were fired at a Halloween event advertised as an Airbnb mansion party. Two people later died of their injuries at the hospital. One witness told the Guardian the party was attended by dozens of people from nearby Bay Area cities, including people who looked to be minors, and the party had just started when bullets started flying and people began scrambling to get out of the house.

So far, none of the families Pointer represents have filed any lawsuits, so in the meantime Pointer is helping them deal with funeral logistics and getting support through victims’ services and funds provided by Airbnb. However, he says his most important role is helping them “come to grips with the loss of their family and loved ones in such an easily preventable, unnecessary and violent way”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Downtown Orinda. Photograph: Jason Henry/The Guardian

In the days following the shooting, officials remained tight-lipped about the details of the investigation – including the number of suspects, the firearms that were used and a possible motive behind the violence. On 14 November, two weeks after the incident, the Contra Costa county sheriff’s office announced the arrest of five people in connection with the shooting. The next day Sheriff David Livingston gave the first comprehensive account of the shooting at a news conference, describing the scene at as a “bloodbath”.

“In my 32 years of law enforcement I have never seen a homicide like this ever,” Livingston said.

During the news conference Livingston stopped short of officially labeling the incident as gang-motivated, but he did say that two opposing gangs from San Francisco and Marin City, a community about five miles north of San Francisco, were at the event. He also said that two of the deceased victims, Javlin County of Marin City and Raymon Hill Jr of San Francisco, were associated with the groups, but didn’t confirm whether or not they were involved in the shooting or any confrontations leading up to it.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The police station in Orinda. Photograph: Jason Henry/The Guardian

On 18 November, the Contra Costa county district attorney’s office announced they would not be filing any criminal charges against the five Bay Area men who were arrested. Four of the men were released from a county detention facility and one is still being being held in a Contra Costa county detention center for a probation violation.

“We stand by our investigation and the arrests were made pursuant to a judge’s order,” said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa county sheriff’s department, in a statement to the Guardian. “Although the district attorney may want more investigation done, the persons arrested and responsible for these crimes will ultimately be held to account.”

The sheriff’s office is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who on Thursday announced a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. The next day, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of two 29-year old men.Both were booked into county jail “on charges related to the Orinda shooting”, according to the statement. District attorneys for Contra Costa and Solano counties have filed criminal charges against the men including felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of ammunition.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A view near the home at 114 Lucille Way in Orinda, California. Photograph: Jason Henry/The Guardian

Pointer says that the speedy release of four people, coupled with Sheriff Livingston’s divulgence that County and Hill were armed during the party and were associated with local gangs, raises a number of questions and concerns.

“In my opinion that stuff is meant to besmirch these people’s reputation, to essentially make the public think that whatever happened to these young men they deserved it,” said Pointer, who is representing County’s family.

“You’ve already declared five people murderers, arrested them, and then the district attorney doesn’t think there’s sufficient enough evidence to bring criminal charges,” Pointer continued. “I have to question all of the statements you’ve made about the investigation and conclusions you reach.”

Pointer also acknowledged that race and class continue to play in public discourse about the shooting. In the days following the shooting, many local residents voiced outrage by the focus on AirBnb’s policies around properties used for parties and ensuring that they are adhering to local regulations, and the narrative that this shooting was the result of young black people bringing crime into what many consider an otherwise safe community.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vigil for the Airbnb shooting victims in Orinda. Photograph: Ray Chavez/The Mercury News via Getty Images/MediaNews Group via Getty Images

“A part of justice is figuring out the truth. Right now we do not know the truth,” Pointer added. “We have to ask questions and not just accept things at face value.”

Near a freeway exit to the entrance of Orinda on Thursday afternoon, about a dozen bouquets lay around the rim of a fountain. The rest of the candles and flowers laid out in remembrance of the victims were sitting in boxes next to a trash bin.The house on Lucille Way is a constant reminder of the tragedy for some who live nearby.

“We assume it will sit empty for two years until they can sell it without disclosing what happened,” said Christine Chalmers who lives four houses away from the home where the shooting occurred. She says she has conflicting hopes for the future of the home. On the one hand she hopes the house can be sold to a new family, and the memory of the Halloween chaos will dissipate. Sometimes she hopes the house will be torn down.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest 114 Lucille Way in Orinda, California. Photograph: Jason Henry/The Guardian

Chalmers was one of dozens of Orinda residents to comment on the city’s regulation of short-term rentals during a tense Orinda city council meeting following the shooting. Most decried that city officials did not have the capacity to properly enforce policies on its 51 registered properties. Others said that the Lucille Way house was an outlier and many renters are responsible, and tend to be families and retirees trying to supplement their incomes.

During their 19 November meeting, Orinda city council decided to ban unhosted short-term rentals, like Airbnbs, which means that property owners must stay on the premises while they have renters. The ordinance took effect immediately.

“We’re all holding our breath,” Chalmers says of the families who live near the house. “If Airbnb ever decides to make good on their claim to be ‘working to support the neighbors’, we have some suggestions for them.”