Gunman opens fire on cars in Cambridge, suspect in custody

A man with a long gun opened fire on passing cars in Cambridge on Monday afternoon, triggering a large police response, closing roads around Memorial Drive and River Street, and leaving the busy corridor disrupted as officers moved to secure the scene.

Cambridge police said they began receiving 911 calls about gunshots around 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Memorial Drive and River Street. Massachusetts State Police described the incident as a police-involved shooting, and Harvard University Police said it was told an armed person fired shots near the campus edge, possibly injuring two victims. Harvard later said the suspect was in custody and there was no ongoing threat to the university.

Witness video showed a man walking in the middle of the road and firing into traffic, striking a stationary SUV. People at the scene said the gunman appeared to fire at cars at random, with gunfire hitting multiple vehicles. One witness said the shooter struck a car radiator, and another said a headlight was hit. At least one person was treated for a gunshot wound, according to State Police, though officials did not immediately detail how that person was injured.

Sources identified the suspect as 46-year-old Tyler Brown. Those sources said Brown was shot by a Massachusetts State Police trooper and taken into custody. Police had already tried to conduct a well-being check at Brown’s Dorchester home around 12:30 p.m. after his parole officer reported that he had made a suicidal statement.

Investigators were also examining whether the Cambridge shooting was connected to an earlier incident in Boston. Sources said Brown had a criminal history that included a 2020 charge of attempting to kill Boston police officers, and that his photo had been included in an officer safety bulletin circulated Monday morning.

The episode forced a swift lockdown-style response in one of Cambridge’s most heavily traveled areas, with officers urging the public to avoid the scene as traffic stalled and the investigation unfolded. For nearby residents, commuters, and the Harvard community, the immediate concern was not only the gunfire itself but the uncertainty it created across the city’s eastern edge.