Arizona Watcher
Surveillance footage shows a man opening fire on a Tucson street and then being struck by gunfire from a police officer, ending the attack.
Authorities identified the suspect as 21-year-old David Leroy French; nine people were wounded and taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The shooting occurred early morning July 19, 2026, on East Congress Street at North Sixth Avenue outside Empire Pizza & Pub; two people struck were on the restaurant patio.
Police said the violence stemmed from an argument between two groups; officers nearby engaged the gunman, one officer fired a single round that struck him, and French was arrested at the scene.
Court records show French previously pleaded guilty in 2024 to a single count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a car-wash incident in which surveillance captured him brandishing a rifle and firing.
Prosecutors in that 2024 case dismissed a dangerous-offense allegation, and French was sentenced to four years’ probation and 100 hours of community service instead of prison.
The earlier plea deal has drawn scrutiny from former prosecutors who say the dismissed charge likely affected mandatory sentencing; a petition to revoke French’s probation was filed after the July shooting.
In the aftermath, downtown businesses paused expansion plans and said they are exploring new safety measures, including shared ID-scanning and ejection-tracking technology.
Surveillance video captured a 21-year-old opening fire on a Tucson street, injuring nine people before police shot and detained him. The suspect, identified as David Leroy French, had a 2024 felony conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was serving probation…