Tucson shooting suspect charged after 9 wounded in downtown nightlife district
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A 21-year-old man is facing a litany of charges after he allegedly opened fire in the downtown Tucson nightlife district early Sunday, wounding nine people before police took him down.
David Leroy French is charged with nine counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, nine counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and one count of discharging a firearm into a structure, a Tucson Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Police said French was detained in absentia while being hospitalized and will be taken to the Pima County Adult Detention Complex upon his release.
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A Tucson Police Department forensic photographer documents the scene downtown where nine people were injured in a shooting early Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star)
Additional charges are pending, the spokesperson added.
The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. in the 100 block of East Congress Street, a busy area filled with bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
The tentative complaint stated that the gunshots occurred after a verbal argument. After reviewing camera footage, investigators determined that the attacker was French. Arizona Daily Star.
Police said officers patrolling nearby heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene on foot.
Evidence markers lie next to clothing as Tucson police investigate a downtown shooting that injured nine people early Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star)
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Police said officers saw the suspect fleeing the area and repeatedly ordered him to stop.
Allegedly ignoring his commands, a uniformed police officer fired his gun and struck him.
While the detained suspect was taken to the hospital after first aid, it was learned that his life-threatening condition continued.
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Tucson police detectives are investigating the downtown scene where nine people were injured in a shooting early Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via Getty Images)
Nine more people were shot and taken to local hospitals.
Police said most people suffered injuries to their arms or legs. No deaths were reported and no officers were injured.
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The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told Fox News Digital it would not be releasing French’s mugshot at this time, citing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
