On Monday afternoon, a man started shooting at drivers along Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, seriously injuring two people before he himself was hurt in a gunfight with police, officials said.
Witness videos from the busy street show the shooter-named by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan as Tyler Brown-walking down the road and firing at cars. He was injured and then arrested after an officer and a civilian carrying a legal gun fired back.
“This incident lasted minutes thanks to that trooper and that civilian,” Ryan said during a news briefing, adding that Brown managed to fire 50 to 60 rounds from his assault-style rifle before being stopped.
According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, two victims were left with life-threatening injuries after this shooting on a crowded Cambridge street. The suspect also got shot.
You can find live updates about what’s going on in Cambridge here.
People watching nearby were shocked by such violence on this main road in a city known for Harvard University and MIT – one video even shows someone rowing on the Charles River close by while the shooter walks along Memorial Drive.
A witness shared video that seems to capture police exchanging shots with an armed man on Memorial Drive Monday. You can hear several gunshots but it’s unclear what happened before the recording began.
Joseph Minini Rodriguez said he saw everything while talking to 911 over the phone.
The attacker “just straight-up gets into a gunfight with the cops,” Joseph said after seeing him fire at vehicles.
The road stayed closed for hours as officers searched for clues.
It’s not clear why the shooter opened fire randomly – Ryan said there didn’t seem to be any link between Brown and those he targeted – but she mentioned Boston police had warned their state counterparts around when it started that Brown was acting strangely and likely armed. That’s why state troopers headed toward Memorial Drive.
“By the time they were making their arrival, there was already an active shooter situation,” Ryan explained. “That individual was already traveling down the middle of Memorial Drive. Cars were stopped in traffic, he was in possession of that assault-style rifle that had been described and he was already firing.”
Brown faces charges including armed assault with intent to kill and weapons violations, Ryan confirmed. As of Monday night, it wasn’t clear if Brown-the 46-year-old Boston resident who was hospitalized-had hired a lawyer yet.
If anyone has info about what went down, they’re asked to call state police detectives at 781-897-6600.
Details took some time coming out – initially, Cambridge Mayor’s Office told NBC10 Boston they knew about some kind of police shooting on Memorial Drive; later Harvard University Police confirmed someone was caught and two people might be hurt.
Cambridge police issued a citywide alert saying no public danger remained after reports of shots near River Street but advised folks to avoid the area anyway.
Cambridge cops confirmed they responded Monday to calls about gunfire on Memorial Drive. The mayor’s office called it a “police-involved shooting” but didn’t have many more details right away.
