20-Year-Old Arizona Man Arrested After Killing 4 People

Iren Byers admitted to the killings during questioning, police said.

An Arizona man has been arrested after he allegedly shot five people, killing four and injuring one on Friday and Saturday, police said.

Police from the Mesa Police Department arrested 20-year-old Iren Byers on Saturday for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

On Friday night, police responded to the murder of a 41-year-old man at Beverly Park in Mesa, Arizona. Shortly after, early Saturday morning, police heard gunshots nearby and responded to the shooting of a 36-year-old woman. She was transported to a local hospital and will undergo surgery for “serious injuries,” police said.

Just before 1 a.m., police responded to the murder of another 41-year-old man and an unidentified adult man.

Police viewed video footage from Circle K and a residential Ring camera to identify Byers, who was wearing the same clothing that witnesses of the shootings had described.

During questioning, Byers admitted to the killings, police said. Police found the gun Byers allegedly used at his house in his grandmother’s room.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by police, Byers said he fatally shot the first three victims for reasons related to drug use — including that one man was smoking fentanyl, which Byers said he didn’t like because his brother “abused the drug.” He said he shot and killed the fourth victim because he was homeless and “not from around here.” After that victim fell down a hill, Byers allegedly “followed him to continue shooting him.” Byers said he shot the fifth victim because she “made him mad.”

Byers said he didn’t call for help for any of the victims, saying that none deserved it, according to his probable cause statement.

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