A 46-year-old Boston man with a lengthy criminal record opened fire on passing vehicles along Cambridge's Memorial Drive on Monday afternoon, leaving two people in critical condition before a Massachusetts State Police trooper shot and apprehended him.
The shooting unfolded around 1:20 p.m. near the intersection of River Street and Memorial Drive. According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, the suspect — identified as Tyler Brown — was already walking down the middle of Memorial Drive, firing an assault-style rifle erratically at vehicles when officers arrived.
Between 50 and 60 rounds were fired in total, and multiple vehicles were damaged, including a United States Postal Service mail truck and an MBTA bus, according to NBC Boston.
Two individuals in separate vehicles were struck by gunfire: one of them was an MBTA bus driver. Both victims are currently hospitalized in critical condition. The mail truck driver was not injured.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which dozens of drivers abandoned their cars and fled on foot, with one bystander telling the Boston Globe that the shooter fired roughly 10 shots within 15 seconds.
Cambridge police received a 911 call at approximately 1:06 p.m. from Boston police, reporting that Brown was acting erratically and was believed to be in possession of a rifle.
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A Boston police officer safety bulletin, issued earlier that morning, noted that Brown's parole officer had reported he made suicidal statements and was seen on FaceTime with an assault rifle. Brown was also scheduled to meet with his parole officer that day, Boston25 News reported.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper confronted Brown and shot him multiple times in the lower extremities. Brown was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment. He now faces two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, weapons possession charges, and several additional offenses, according to the Middlesex County DA.
Brown, a Boston resident, has a criminal record spanning nearly two decades. In May 2020, he fired 13 rounds at Boston police officers on Massachusetts Avenue in the South End — nearly three times as many shots as the two officers fired in response.
He pleaded guilty to eight charges, including armed assault with intent to murder, and in August 2021 was sentenced to five to six years in state prison followed by three years of probation, with a court order requiring mental health evaluation and treatment.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins at the time called the sentence inadequate, having sought 10 to 12 years.
Governor Maura Healey said she was "closely monitoring" the situation and praised first responders. The investigation is being led by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. DA Ryan asked anyone with video footage of the incident to submit it to the Massachusetts State Police, as per Cambridge Police.
