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A man accused of randomly shooting at cars in Massachusetts has been identified as a career criminal with a previous conviction for attempting to murder a Boston police officer. The suspect was out on the streets thanks to a soft sentence back in 2021.
Police arrested 46-year-old career criminal Tyler Brown on Monday after they say he walked down a street in Cambridge waving a rifle and shooting at random. Video captured by witnesses show a man, identified by police as Brown, dressed in black walking down the road while brandishing his weapon.
Two people were seriously injured in the shooting, and officials say Brown’s shooting spree was stopped by a former Marine legally carrying a handgun and a Massachusetts State Police who both opened fire on him. Brown was hit multiple times and taken to the hospital, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Brown is accused of firing between 50 to 60 shots at more than a dozen cars on the busy Cambridge street. He is expected to be charged with two counts of intent to murder and multiple gun charges. The shooting took place about an hour after police attempted to conduct a welfare check on Brown after his parole officer reported he made suicidal statements.
Back in 2021, a judge gave Brown a much lighter sentence than requested by prosecutors after he was convicted of armed assault with intent to murder and attempted assault and battery by means of discharging a firearm after he opened fire on several Boston police officers back in 2020.
During that incident, Brown fired 13 shots at police officers who were called to check in on him after he was seen with a weapon.
He was additionally convicted over the incident of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for pointing a firearm at Boston Police officers, unlawful possession of a firearm as a subsequent offense, and carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large capacity feeding device.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders sentenced Brown to just five to six years in prison, about half the 10-12 years requested by prosecutors.
At the time, even leftist Suffolk District Attorney Rachel Rollins said she was “disappointed” with the sentence.
“Violence will not be condoned in Suffolk County,” she said. “Whether that violence is committed by or against a domestic partner, a stranger, a loved one, a family member, a spouse, an acquaintance, a police officer, a suspect, anyone, we will hold the perpetrator of the violence accountable and advocate on behalf of the victim. This sentence doesn’t do that, and I want to personally apologize to each of these officers and their families.”
Brown also has convictions from 2014 for assault and battery with a knife and witness intimidation.
