2026 Memorial drive shooting

On May 11, 2026, a man opened fire at passing vehicles at random while walking on the street on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Two men were seriously wounded with gunshot wounds, the shooter, reported to be [...], was shot multiple times and seriously wounded by law enforcement, and was taken to an intensive care unit.

Background

In 2024, Massachusetts had the 2nd lowest rate of death by firearms by state, with 3.8 deaths per 100,000 per year. Cambridge is located in Middlesex County. In 2023, the county had the lowest rate of firearm deaths in the state, 2.1 per 100,000.

Shooting

At 12:30 PM ET, police officers tried to do a wellness check on the shooter, Tyler E. Brown, after his parole officer heard him make a [...] statement. At 1:30 PM, the Cambridge Police Department received 911 calls reporting gunshots on Memorial Drive near The Intersection with River Street. The shooter was shooting passing cars, including a Massachusetts State Police car, a Ford Transit school bus, and a USPS van. The bullets shot through one of the vehicle's radiators, and another, their headlight. The shooter used a rifle, and shot 50 to 60 rounds. A Massachusetts State trooper and a Marine veteran opened fire on Brown, critically wounding him.

Perpetrator

Police identified the perpetrator as Tyler E. Brown (born 1980), a 46-year-old longtime Boston resident who at the time of the shooting lived in the Dorchester neighborhood. Brown had an extensive criminal history in Greater Boston dating back to 2008 where he was convicted of [...] distribution.

During the coronavirus pandemic on May 16, 2020, Tyler was charged with attempting to kill officers from the Boston Police Department after allegedly opening fire on law enforcement during an encounter while fleeing on-foot. Two officers arrived at a report of a man with a gun between Washington and Northampton Streets in the South End neighborhood, before spotting Brown at broad daylight with a gun across the street on Massachusetts Avenue. During the pursuit, he tossed a bag, before pulling out his .40 Glock semi-automatic pistol and attempted to shoot in close range at an officer’s chest. The officer took cover and was narrowly missed by the bullets. Brown continued to shoot at the officers, firing a total of 13 rounds. The two officers returned fire, discharging five rounds in response. Other officers took Brown into custody without using a weapon (and a “violent struggle” in an effort to subdue him) at nearby Chester Park.

At the time of his arrest, Brown was on probation for a 2014 conviction for assault and battery with a knife and witness intimidation, where the medical director at Bridgewater State Hospital diagnosed Brown with depression, and declared him mentally ill. He was sentenced to four to five years in state prison for violating his probation after pleading guilty. Prosecutors from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years in state prison, but a Suffolk superior court judge handed down only five to six years at MCI Cedar Junction the following year in November 2021 because the sentence was served at the same time as his probation violation, before being released on parole on May 21, 2025.

Less than an hour before the shootings, Brown made [...] threats on a FaceTime call with his parole officer and displayed his weapon, adding that “these people are going to [...] pay”. Prior to the shooting, Brown had been released three days earlier from McLean Hospital after treatment from his PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Victims

Three men were shot, including the perpetrator by police. Two men are injured but was unrelated to the shooter. All three men were taken to a nearby hospital with life threatening injuries.