Court documents released in Mesa shooting spree

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MESA, Ariz. — Mesa police have released court documents that reveal new information about a shooting spree in the Valley that left four people dead and one in the hospital.

Iren Byers, 20, has been arrested in connection to the shootings that began Friday afternoon in Phoenix and ended in the early morning hours of Saturday in Mesa.

Byers, who reportedly admitted responsibility for the shooting, is facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

RELATED: Man arrested in connection with string of fatal shootings between Phoenix and Mesa that left 4 dead, 1 hospitalized

According to court documents released on May 28, Byers met the first victim on May 26 in Phoenix at 2:41 p.m. while on the canal bank near 24th Street and Thomas Road. The shooting was captured by a security camera. In the footage, Byers is seen pointing a gun at the victim, a shot can be heard and then Byers runs away.

Phoenix police identified the victim as 41-year-old Nicholas Arnstad.

A fired 9mm casing was found at the scene. The victim was shot in the head and died at the scene.

Byers told investigators he recognized the victim when shown the security camera footage and admitted he met the victim near the canal, according to court documents. Byers said he shot the victim because he was abusing fentanyl, which he disliked due to his brother’s drug abuse.

After shooting the victim, Byers got on a bus and left the scene.

Byers told detectives the victim was not armed and posed no threat. He said after the shooting, he did not call for help because the victim didn’t deserve it.

According to court documents, after the first shooting, Byers made his way to Beverly Park in Mesa, where he met the next victim, who was sitting in the south side of the park. Byers shot the man in the head after he started talking about "blues," a street name for fentanyl. Again, Byers said during the interview that he didn’t call for help because the victim didn’t deserve it.

Mesa police identified the victim as 41-year-old Julian Cox.

The shooting was captured on a Ring camera at a nearby apartment complex.

The footage showed a slender individual wearing a red shirt and dark pants walk from the apartment complex, go through a hole in a fence and then enter the park. The person then walks toward the area where the victim was found and a gunshot can be heard.

Shell casings were not recovered from the crime scene.

Court documents revealed that Byers met the third victim at a Circle K in Mesa and the two went to the light rail. While on the light rail headed toward Country Club Drive, the two started talking. They got off on Country Club Drive and began to walk toward Broadway. Byers said he wanted to smoke weed but the victim wanted to smoke fentanyl. As they walked, Byers shot the man in the head. Byers told investigators he didn’t call for medical aid after the shooting because the victim didn’t deserve it.

Mesa police identified the victim as 41-year-old Stephen Young.

A fired 9 mm shell casing was recovered at the scene by investigators.

A witness saw the suspect with the victim walking south on Country Club towards Broadway. The witness lost sight of the two men and then heard a loud pop. She then saw the suspect running north, away from the crime scene.

According to court documents, Byers met the fourth victim, a homeless individual, as he was walking on the railroad tracks, near Extension and 2nd Avenue in Mesa. Byers said he shot the victim in the he head because the individual was homeless and not from the area. After being shot the first time, the victim fell down a hill; Byers followed him and continued to shoot him. When questioned about seeking help, Byers said he didn’t seek medical help because the victim did not deserve it.

Mesa police identified the victim as 40-year-old John Swain.

Police have not found any witnesses in this shooting, but did find three fired shell casings at the scene.

Court documents revealed Byers shot the fifth victim because she made him mad. Byers met the woman while walking on Main street. He started talking to her but she made him angry so he shot her in the face. He then shot her again because she was still alive. Again, Byers said he didn't call for help because the victim didn’t deserve it.

Investigators found two fired casings at the scene.

Mesa police identified the victim as 36-year-old Angela Fonseca.

This victim is hospitalized at Banner Desert and expected to survive.

After his arrest, Byers told police the clothes he was wearing and the gun he used could be found in an apartment near Main Street and Extension Road in Mesa.

Police found the items, a red shirt, black pants, black shoes, and the gun used to shoot the victims, a 9mm Taurus handgun, in a fanny pack in his grandmother’s bedroom.

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