Suspect confesses to 5 shootings in Arizona that left 4 dead and 1 wounded, police say

A man has been arrested for a string of shootings that left four people dead in Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona, police said Sunday. 

Iren Byers, 20, was taken into custody in connection with four shootings late Friday night in Mesa that left three people dead and one person hospitalized, the Mesa Police Department said. The suspect was also linked to a homicide earlier on Friday in Phoenix. 

The suspect, who is believed to be solely responsible for all five shootings, is being charged with four counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted first degree murder, police said. 

Police said they were able to link casings from the crime scenes in both Mesa and Phoenix to one 9-millimeter handgun. Security camera footage in the areas of the shootings also appeared to show the suspect wearing the same clothing witnesses had described the shooter wearing, according to police.

The suspect was initially taken into custody for trespassing, but he subsequently took responsibility for all five shootings during questioning, police said. He allegedly told officers where they could find the handgun he used and the clothing he was wearing during the shootings. Officers later recovered the evidence at the suspect’s residence. 

Phoenix police identified Nicholas Arnstad, 41, as the first shooting victim. Arnstad was found shot to death along a canal, police said.

The Mesa victims include two 41-year-old men and another unidentified person believed to be an adult man. The person hospitalized is a 36-year-old woman who is in stable condition. She is set to undergo surgery for what police called “serious injuries.”