Accused Memorial Drive gunman Tyler Brown tried to kill Boston police officers in 2020

The gunman who allegedly opened fire on passing cars on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts Monday afternoon is 46-year-old Tyler Brown from Boston. Brown was shot and wounded by a State Police trooper and a civilian and taken into custody. 

Two people in separate cars were struck by the gunfire and taken to Boston hospitals with life-threatening injuries. 

Brown is no stranger to law enforcement, with a criminal record that dates back to 2008 when he was convicted of cocaine distribution. In 2020, he was charged with attempting to kill Boston Police officers. 

At the time, Brown pleaded guilty to eight charges including armed assault with intent to murder and attempted assault and battery by means of discharging a firearm for firing at a Boston Police officer.

According to I-Team sources, a photo of Tyler Brown was included in an officer safety bulletin that went out Monday morning in Boston. At about 12:30 Monday afternoon, Boston Police officers attempted to do a wellbeing check at his home in Dorchester after his parole officer reported to police that he made suicidal statements.

He was also allegedly seen on Facetime video with an assault rifle and said he would use it. The bulletin also mentioned his phone was pinging in Cambridge.

Shortly after the bulletin went out, videos of Brown were recorded by witnesses on Memorial Drive. He is seen walking down the middle of the street, terrorizing drivers and waving and shooting a long gun. Witnesses said he shot at cars and in the air, before he was shot and taken into custody. 

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Brown is in custody at a hospital in the intensive care unit. 

At the time of the armed assault in 2020, Brown was on probation for a 2014 conviction for assault and battery with a knife and witness intimidation. In 2021, Brown was sentenced to 5-6 years in state prison followed by probation. He was also ordered to undergo mental health evaluations and treatment.

Rachael Rollins, who was the Suffolk County District Attorney at the time, wanted 10-to-12 years and said she was "disappointed" by the sentence.

"I strongly believe that the sentence we proposed - 10 to 12 years followed by five years of probation - was appropriate for the level of brazen violence committed. Of equal concern is the imposition of concurrent sentences for a prior and separate violent assault on a different member of our community," Rollins said in August 2021.

Brown ended up serving about three-and-a-half years in prison after his sentencing date.