Felon Who Allegedly Opened Fire on Boston Drivers Previously Convicted for Shooting at Cops
Tyler Brown, the man who allegedly opened fire on passing cars on a Boston highway on Monday, was previously convicted of the attempted murder of a police officer and released after serving just five years in prison.
Brown, 46, is accused of firing 50 to 60 rounds at random passersby on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, hitting dozens of cars. Two people were hit and remain in critical condition in a nearby hospital. Video of the incident taken by an eyewitness shows Brown running back and forth in the traffic lanes, firing at random.
A State Police trooper and Marine veteran caught in the traffic jam that resulted from the incident shot Brown, who is now in custody at a Boston-area ICU.
Troopers found witnesses hiding under their cars, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press conference Monday.
Brown is from Boston and has been under the supervision of either the Massachusetts Probation Department or Department of Parole, Ryan said.
In May 2020, Brown opened fire on a pair of police officers who were responding to a 911 call, firing 13 rounds, one of which was fired at “close range.” The two cops returned fire, but no one was hit.
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Brown pled guilty in 2021 to a slew of charges, including armed assault with intent to murder, in connection with the incident. The district attorney’s office suggested a ten- to twelve-year sentence, but Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders cut the sentence in half, sentencing Brown to just five to six years in prison.
The Boston Police Department, then–District Attorney Rachael Rollins, and local police unions all agreed: Brown’s sentence was too short.
“I am disappointed in the sentence that was imposed,” Rollins said at the time. “Members of law enforcement put their lives at risk every day to protect us. They serve us, at times being unfairly criticized for acts committed by officers a thousand miles away felt and witnessed around the globe.”
“I am a firm believer that when Mr. Tyler Brown gets out, he will hurt, or worse, kill someone,” an officer who was involved in the 2020 shootout said in a victim impact statement. “Probation apparently means nothing to Mr. Tyler Brown, nor does the value of life.”
At the time of that shooting, Brown was also on probation after a 2014 conviction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and witness intimidation.
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The Boston Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.
