Pima County Attorney says lost contact with victim shaped 2024 plea deal for Downtown Tucson shooting suspect

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said prosecutors lost contact with the victim in a 2024 aggravated assault case involving David Leroy French, who is now accused of wounding nine people in a downtown Tucson shooting.

Conover said her office recently reviewed the archived case file after questions arose about why French received probation rather than prison. The prosecution team and victim services staff had made repeated efforts to find the victim but were unable to maintain contact.

She said the missing victim was information prosecutors were required to share with the defense. While the absence would not have automatically prevented a trial, it could have made winning a conviction more difficult. French instead pleaded guilty, received a felony conviction and was sentenced to probation.

The Adult Probation Department also documented unsuccessful efforts to reach the victim in a presentence report that was part of the public court record.

French is now charged in the shooting outside Empire Pizza near Congress Street and Sixth Avenue. Tucson police say nine people were injured, and French remains in custody as the case moves through court.