Residents look at police activity at one of the scenes of a multiple location shooting that has injured at least four people in Mesa, Arizona March 18, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

 Wednesday's violence began at the Tri City Inn in Mesa when the gunman opened fire on a man and two women following some kind of altercation, then fled to a nearby restaurant where he shot and wounded a student while carjacking the man's vehicle, Flores said.

The suspect then drove to two nearby apartment complexes, shooting one person at each, Flores said.

The man shot at the motel died, and one of the surviving victims was listed in critical condition at a Phoenix-area hospital. Authorities did not immediately release information on the remaining victims.

Tanya Ehrig, who said her sister was present at the motel when gunfire erupted there, told local ABC 15 News that her sister's boyfriend was killed in that altercation.

"I seen this whole thing blocked off and I couldn't get a hold of her. I couldn't call her, I thought something was wrong with her. And she (later) told me that her boyfriend got shot and now he's gone," Ehrig said.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement he had spoken to the mayor of Mesa and offered resources, including from the Department of Public Safety.