Overview
- Security footage obtained from Empire Pizza & Pub shows a man firing down East Congress Street just after 2 a.m. on July 19 and officers arriving within seconds to confront him.
- Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old David Leroy French, who was shot by an officer, transported to hospital in critical condition, and arraigned from his hospital bed.
- Court filings say the shooting started after an argument outside the pizzeria and charge French with nine counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, nine counts of aggravated assault involving serious physical injury, and one count of discharging a firearm at a structure.
- The Pima Regional Critical Incident Team is leading the criminal probe while Tucson Police conduct an internal administrative review, and investigators are still seeking witnesses and additional video.
- Business owners and local officials have framed the shooting as part of wider downtown safety concerns, a debate that could affect policing priorities, enforcement decisions, and calls for policy changes.