Katie Faller

The Republic | azcentral.com

One man died and two remained in critical condition after early-morning gunfire rang out at a Tempe residence, police said.

Gregory Wheeler, 34, died of injuries from a gunshot wound, according to Lt. Mike Pooley, Tempe police spokesman.

The confrontation occurred about 5 a.m. outside a residence located behind a main house in the 2000 block of East Wildermuth Drive, Pooley said.

The residence is south of Apache Boulevard and west of the Loop 101.

All three of those wounded were transported to hospitals, with one reported dead early Friday afternoon.

One of the victims was able to tell first-responders that the shooting was the result of an argument, but little was known about what happened, Pooley said.

The property owner allows homeless people to sleep in the yard of the residence, and some of them were witnesses to the confrontation, Pooley said. They were being interviewed by officers hoping to learn more about what happened.

Cory Green, who lives in the area, described the backyard as having tents and a mobile home.

Complaints have been filed in the past about the condition of the property, Nikki Ripley, a city of Tempe spokeswoman, said.

A complaint filed in 2015 detailed junk and debris in the front yard of the house, including discarded toilets, and people sleeping in the backyard.

Ripley said inspectors found no one in the yard and no violation was noted.

In the past year, this property has had 10 non-emergency calls ranging from loose animals, a 911 hang-up, a family fight, loud music and alleged trespassing, Pooley said.

No police calls were specific to homeless people on the property, Pooley said, adding that the trespassing call could mean anything.

Green said the neighborhood continues to have issues with homeless people squatting in yards.

It was not immediately clear who owned the property or how many people lived there.