Authorities in New Mexico's largest city Albuquerque are scrambling to piece together what sparked separate shootings that killed five people and wounded six others.
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There were no immediate arrests in Thursday night's shootings. Investigators didn't immediately determine whether there was any connection between the shootings that Deputy Police Chief Harold Medina called "senseless acts" during a news conference early on Friday.
Mayor Tim Keller called the shootings "appalling".
The shootings come as Albuquerque, with a population over 500,000, has struggled to address high crime rates.
The latest shootings happened in different parts of the city over a span of about 90 minutes.
Officers responded shortly after 9pm on Thursday to a call of shots fired at a home in the south valley where three people were found dead. A fourth died at the hospital, and two others suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
About 15 minutes earlier, officers received a report of gunfire at an apartment complex on Albuquerque's northwest side. One person died and three others were injured, including one person who was listed in critical condition.
Earlier, at 7:30 pm, officers went to another apartment complex on the northeast side and found a man who was shot in the neck after confronting a couple who had broken into a neighbour's apartment and stolen a purse.
Australian Associated Press
