21-year-old man facing multiple charges after mass shooting in downtown Tucson

Nine people were injured in a shooting in downtown Tucson early Sunday morning, putting a violent confrontation in one of the city’s busiest areas at the center of a criminal case. The shooting occurred near Congress Street and Sixth Avenue, a downtown intersection where residents, workers and visitors regularly gather. A 21 year old man, David Leroy French, is facing multiple charges in connection with the incident. The charges include nine counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, nine counts of aggravated assault involving serious physical injury, and one count of discharging a firearm at a structure.

Tucson police officers were called to the area at about 2 a.m. on July 19 after reports of multiple gunshots. According to court documents, the gunfire followed a verbal fight. The available account does not identify what started the argument, how long it lasted or whether the people involved knew one another. It also does not provide the identities or conditions of the nine injured people. Those details may be addressed as the case proceeds, but the initial information establishes that the shooting affected multiple people in a downtown setting during the early morning hours.

When officers arrived, they found French running from the scene, according to police and the court documents described in the report. Officers issued him multiple commands. During the encounter, a uniformed officer fired a weapon and struck French. The account does not state how many officers were present, how many shots were fired by police or where French was hit. It also does not say whether the officer involved was injured. The police shooting is a separate part of the incident that will be examined alongside the allegations against French.

The criminal case contains two groups of nine assault counts. The first group alleges aggravated assault with a firearm, while the second alleges aggravated assault resulting in serious physical injury. The charging information also includes an allegation that a firearm was discharged at a structure. Those charges reflect the seriousness of the reported gunfire and the number of people hurt, although a charge is an allegation and does not establish guilt. French will have the opportunity to respond to the accusations through the court process.

For people who spend time downtown, the incident underscores the immediate public safety concerns created when a dispute escalates into gunfire in a crowded area. The shooting happened at Congress Street and Sixth Avenue, rather than at an isolated location, and police were responding to a report of multiple shots. The available information does not indicate whether nearby businesses or buildings were struck, whether the area was closed after the shooting or how long police remained at the scene. It does establish that the alleged discharge at a structure is part of the case.

The incident also includes a police use of force that will draw attention from the Tucson community. Officers encountered a person they believed was fleeing from the shooting and gave commands before the uniformed officer fired. The report does not provide additional findings about that decision, and no conclusion about the officer’s conduct is included in the available information. The sequence described by police is that French ran from the scene, officers directed him to stop, and an officer’s gunfire hit him. Further details about the investigation and any review were not provided.

The case now moves beyond the initial emergency response and into the legal process. French faces 19 listed charges in all, counting the nine firearm assault allegations, the nine serious injury assault allegations and the allegation involving a structure. The report does not include information about an arraignment, bond, an attorney for French, a plea, a court date or possible sentencing. It also does not say whether additional charges could be filed. Those proceedings will determine how the allegations are handled and whether the case goes to trial.

For now, the central facts remain the reported early morning confrontation, the gunfire, the injuries to nine people and the arrest of a 21 year old suspect after an officer shot him. The location, at Congress Street and Sixth Avenue, places the event in the heart of downtown Tucson. Police and prosecutors will have to establish what led to the verbal fight, who was in the area, how each person was injured and what happened during the encounter between French and officers. Until those questions are addressed in court, the charges remain allegations, while the shooting’s effect on the injured victims and the downtown community remains the most immediate concern.