Tucson gunman who injured 9 during shooting was on probation after felony conviction

A 21-year-old man accused of wounding nine people in a Tucson, Arizona, shooting had previously been convicted of pointing a rifle at someone but avoided prison time. 

Surveillance footage captured the moment that a gunman opened fire on a street in Tucson and was subsequently shot by police after injuring nine people. The video, reported by the Arizona Daily Star, allegedly shows David Leroy French firing multiple shots early Sunday morning on July 16 before running down the street toward Tucson police officers who were nearby. One officer fired a single shot, striking French and ending the attack.

The shooting reportedly stemmed from an argument between two groups. French and nine victims were transported to a local hospital in critical condition. The gunman was arrested on suspicion of nine counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, nine counts of aggravated assault, and discharging a firearm at a structure.

The shooting renewed scrutiny over a previous plea agreement that otherwise would have resulted in French being in prison at the time of the recent shooting. 

In a 2024 case, prosecutors dropped a dangerous-offense allegation against French. The incident began after an employee at a Tucson car wash asked French and his friends to leave because they were being too loud. French confronted the employee with a rifle while one of his companions told the worker not to call the police. Another member of the group allegedly struck the employee in the back with a bottle. 

Surveillance video showed French pointing the rifle at the employee and firing in his general direction. French later admitted he had been drunk during the incident.

French later pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, which is a class three felony. Instead of receiving prison time, French was sentenced to just four years of probation and 100 hours of community service after prosecutors agreed to dismiss the dangerous-offense allegation. 

David Berkman, former chief criminal deputy county attorney in Pima County, said that French likely would have still been in prison at the time of the recent shooting if the prosecution didn't drop that part of the case, as the dangerous-offense allegation would have resulted in a mandatory prison sentence. 

"It's odd because it's not what a prosecutor is supposed to do," Berkman said. "A good prosecutor says, 'I think he should go to prison.'"