Man who previously shot at Boston cops arrested for opening fire on drivers in Cambridge, MA

A man was seen opening fire at passing cars on Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Memorial Drive on Monday afternoon. He was reportedly shot and injured by a responding Massachusetts State Police trooper and taken into custody.

The incident occurred at around 1:30 pm near the intersection of River Street, with police saying they received 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area. Witnesses said that the state trooper shot the gunman multiple times.

Sources told CBS Boston that the gunman is Tyler Brown, 46, who had previously been charged in 2020 with attempting to kill Boston police officers. His photo had been included in an officer safety bulletin that went out Monday, and at around 12:30 pm, officers attempted to do a well-being check at his Dorchester home after his parole officer reported that Brown had made a suicidal statement. 

One driver told the outlet that he had stopped his car and ducked in his vehicle as the gunman opened fire. "Got out, walked up to the car in front of me to my coworker to see what was going on. Saw the dude in the street lifting [the gun] up at me," the man said. "I dipped back into my car and ducked behind my dashboard. My buddy got out, he ran for it. State trooper pulled up directly on the side of me, got out, got behind his car right in front of my driver's side mirror, got in the gunfight with him."

One woman who had been driving a small school van said she and another woman who had been inside the vehicle fled through nearby bushes. "I ran through the bushes and fell in here, and ran all the way down the street. And then they took me in this building over here because I was all shook and everything. Because I was running for my life," one of the women said. She said she heard at least 15 gunshots. 

The witnesses said that a Massachusetts State Police trooper engaged with the gunman seconds after arriving on the scene before shooting the gunman multiple times. Sources told the outlet that Brown was shot in the torso and taken into custody, and no troopers were shot. State police said that EMS treated at least one person for gunshot injuries, but did not specify if the person was the gunman.

In the 2020 case, he pleaded guilty to charges that included armed assault with intent to murder and attempted assault and battery by means of discharging a firearm. He was sentenced in 2021 to five to six years in state prison followed by probation, as well as mental health evaluations and treatment.