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Mesa Police investigate 4 'horrific' shootings: 3 dead, 1 hurt, suspect caught
A suspect has been arrested after a string of shootings in Mesa that left three people dead and one person injured. Police say he also committed a murder in Phoenix one day earlier.
Mesa Police investigate 4 'horrific' shootings: 3 dead, 1 hurt, suspect caught
By Lauren Clark and FOX 10 Staff
Published May 27, 2023 4:01PM
Updated May 28, 2023 12:05PM
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FOX 10 Phoenix
MESA, Ariz. - A suspect has been arrested after a string of shootings in Mesa that left three people dead and one person injured.
Iren Byers, 20, was originally taken into custody near Main Street and Ext Road for trespassing. He allegedly confessed to all the crimes, and he told police where they could find the clothes he wore and the handgun he used for the shootings.
Detectives linked his handgun to another murder that happened near 24th Street and Oak in Phoenix on Friday. A 41-year-old man, identified as Nicholas Arnstad, had been found dead next to a canal in the area.
Byers also reportedly confessed to killing him during the police interview.
In total, the 20-year-old is now being accused of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
Police say security video from the shooting scenes all linked Byers to the homicides. He is believed to be the only suspect in this case.
Iren Byers
On Saturday afternoon, Mesa police gave a timeline of when and where the victims were found.
Timeline of shootings
On May 26 around 10:30 p.m., police found the body of a 41-year-old man near Alma School Road and Main Street.
While police were still investigating the body being found, they heard gunshots in the area. By 12:15 a.m. later that morning, officers found a 36-year-old woman who had been shot near Main Street and Stewart – she's stable at the hospital with serious injuries.
At around 1 a.m. near Country Club Drive and Broadway Road, a 41-year-old man's body was found at the Greyhound Station.
As police searched the area, another body was found around 2 a.m. near 2nd Avenue and Extension, just blocks away. That victim is only identified as an adult man.
PD: 3 killed, 1 hurt in Mesa shooting spree
A possible motive
"I can’t even tell you any time in my police career, over twenty years, that I’ve heard of anything like this," said Brandi Gorge with Mesa Police.
Police were, and are, working overtime to figure out what happened.
"It was all hands on deck. We asked for everybody who was not on a call or who could break from their call, to come help us saturate the area. We were looking for any more victims, we were looking for a suspect, we were looking for any evidence to tell us what was going on in our city at that time," she said.
A question remains: Why?
"We are looking at similarities between all of our victims. They were all outside. None of them were in a residence, so we are looking at homelessness as maybe a possible motive," George said.
‘Horrific act’
Mesa's Mayor released a statement on the shootings, calling it a tragedy.
"I am deeply disturbed by the violence in Mesa last night. Our Mesa community grieves for the victims and mourns with their loved ones. This is a tragedy felt throughout the City. Mesa residents deserve a safe and peaceful city. Unfortunately, incidents like this are all too common in large and small cities throughout the country. Despite last night’s horrific act by one person, Mesa is one of the safest large cities in America and that is due in large part to our excellent police department. We applaud the Mesa Police Department for its swift response, investigation and quick apprehension of a suspect."
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