CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The heart of Cambridge was shaken Monday afternoon when a gunman opened fire along a busy stretch of Memorial Drive, sending drivers and pedestrians scrambling for safety and prompting a massive police response.
Investigators say the suspect, identified as 46-year-old Tyler Brown of Boston, fired up to 60 rounds at what appeared to be random targets near Memorial Drive between River Street and Pleasant Street Extension shortly after 1 p.m.
Investigators said Brown is expected to be charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, along with multiple firearms offenses.
25 Investigates has learned that Brown and has a criminal history spanning nearly 20 years. Court records obtained by Boston 25 News show that in 2020, Brown fired thirteen rounds at Boston police officers in the South End. At the time of that shootout, Brown shot nearly three times as many bullets as two Boston police officers did in response.
Disturbing video captured by a witness shows the gunman firing repeatedly with what authorities described as an assault-style rifle during a high-traffic time of day, creating what prosecutors called an extremely dangerous situation for people driving, walking, biking, and rowing on the nearby Charles River.
According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, two men were shot while inside separate vehicles. Both victims were taken to the hospital and are listed in critical condition.
During the confrontation, Brown was shot multiple times by a Massachusetts State Police trooper and a civilian who officials say is a former U.S. Marine. Brown was transported to a hospital with a gunshot wound and remains in custody.
“There is no reason to suggest that there’s any connection between this individual and any of the people who were in any of those cars that were struck,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said. She added that when troopers arrived, they found some people hiding beneath vehicles to protect themselves.
“That does not begin to address the trauma experienced by everybody who was out there, those individuals on the river, walking pushing baby carriages, riding by,” said Ryan. “We know that that weapon had the capacity to have struck people on the other side of that river.”
Authorities say the gunfire struck several vehicles, including a state police cruiser. No officers were injured. A mail truck was also hit, with a bullet narrowly missing the driver.
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One victim’s vehicle showed shattered windows at the scene.
“While he’s standing next to a car, he’s hitting the window a couple of times, he’s like, mad, he’s frustrated... he starts shooting those cars at least two, three shots,” Joseph Minino-Rodriguez, a witness who works nearby, said. “My boy just straight up gets into a gun fight with the cops now. Six shots in maybe two from him, and the rest from the cop.”
Investigators also confirmed the second victim was driving an MBTA bus at the time of the shooting. The driver’s family told Boston 25 News he was shot in the head and drove himself to the hospital for treatment.
“This, in the city of Cambridge, a relatively safe and certainly vibrant community where people work and travel through, what happened today cannot stand,” Ryan added.
The investigation remains active as authorities continue to examine evidence and review video from the area.
Boston 25 News is following developments closely and will provide updates as new information becomes available.
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