A man previously convicted of shooting at police opened fire randomly at passing cars outside Boston, injuring two people.
BOSTON — A man with a previous conviction for shooting at police strode down a busy road outside Boston and fired at passing cars with an assault rifle, killing two drivers and causing others to panic until a state trooper and a former Marine opened fire, wounding him, authorities said.
Panicked motorists abandoned their vehicles or ducked under their cars for cover as bullets ripped through at least a dozen cars, including a state police cruiser, according to prosecutors and state police. Authorities said the gunman fired more than 60 rounds in the Monday afternoon attack, leaving two victims with life-threatening injuries.
The shooting occurred on a heavily trafficked road along the Charles River in Cambridge, home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The area’s sidewalks and riverside paths are often crowded with pedestrians, joggers and cyclists.
“As people jumped out of the vehicle and dispersed in all directions… neither the officer nor the civilian walked in one direction but walked toward the suspect with their weapons in an attempt to end the situation,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news conference Monday night.
Prosecutors identified the suspect as 46-year-old Tyler Brown of Boston, who was shot in multiple limbs and is expected to face two charges, including two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and other firearms crimes.
“What happened today cannot be tolerated,” the district attorney said.
In 2020, Brown was arrested after firing several shots at Boston police officers, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said at the time that he should serve at least 10 years in prison because of the “level of blatant violence” and because he was on probation for a 2014 conviction on charges of assault and witness intimidation. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders instead ordered Brown to serve five to six years in state prison and three years of probation in recognition of the nearly 18 months he spent behind bars.
At the time, the judge’s decision sparked outrage and criticism from local officials who worried that violent offenders were not being held accountable. The same concerns resurfaced after Monday’s shooting.
“Talk about a ball dropping,” the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association said in a statement posted on social media. “The fact that five years ago the justice system thought it was prudent to show leniency to a would-be cop killer is not only the definition of insanity, but an undeniable affront to those who risk their lives every day.”
Rachael Saveriano said she was trapped in her car as other vehicles tried to make a U-turn in front of her on Monday when she saw Brown walking toward her, brandishing a gun. The man, whom authorities later identified as a former Marine, helped her escape, she told The Boston Globe.
“I didn’t know what to do. When a gunman is coming toward you, you don’t feel like you should get out of the car, but there was a man next to me,” she said. “He opened my car door, pulled me out and told me to run. He blocked the barricade with the door and I started running.”
Saveriano said she saw the man shoot Brown and she ran into a nearby hotel.
“He was an incredible hero,” she said. “He was very calm and didn’t hesitate.”
Ryan said investigators found no connection between Brown and the person targeted in the shooting. She reiterated her call for tougher penalties for people who fire their weapons regardless of the risk of serious harm.
Cambridge Magistrates’ Court said on Tuesday Brown was not medically ready to stand trial. The Public Counsel Service Board has been appointed to defend him and a message seeking comment was left with the agency on Tuesday. A message was also left at Brown’s phone number and that of a potential family member, while another possible relative said they did not recognize him.
Larmer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Krusey reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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