A Massachusetts State Trooper and a civilian Marine veteran confronted an active shooter on Memorial Drive, potentially preventing further casualties.
The shooter, Tyler Brown, injured two individuals before being engaged by the trooper and the Marine veteran in a brief but intense exchange of gunfire.
Massachusetts authorities reported that Brown had a criminal history and illegally possessed the assault-style rifle he used during the incident.
The civilian Marine’s actions were crucial, showing how armed citizens can complement law enforcement in active shooter situations.
The event highlights the debate about the Second Amendment and the importance of the right to carry firearms for self-defense in urgent cases.
CAMBRIDGE, MA — A Massachusetts State Trooper and an armed civilian Marine veteran ran toward an active shooter who had opened fire on civilian vehicles on Memorial Drive Monday afternoon, ending what authorities described as a rampage that had already injured two people and put dozens more at risk.
As reported by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police at a Monday evening press conference, the incident began with a 911 call from Boston Police around 10:06 p.m. — corrected at the briefing to early Monday afternoon. Boston Police reported that an individual believed to be in possession of a rifle and acting erratically had crossed into Cambridge.
By the time State Police and Cambridge Police were responding, an active shooter situation was already underway on Memorial Drive. The suspect, identified as Tyler Brown of Boston, was walking down the center of Memorial Drive carrying what authorities described as an assault-style rifle, firing erratically at vehicles in traffic. Two men in separate vehicles were struck. Both were transported to Boston hospitals with life-threatening injuries.
The Response
According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, a Massachusetts State Trooper arriving on scene and a civilian Marine veteran licensed to carry a firearm both chose to advance toward the gunman rather than seek cover.
Both that trooper and that civilian, rather than going in one direction, went towards the suspect with their weapons to try to end that situation,” Ryan said. “Both the civilian and the trooper fired their weapons and that suspect was struck multiple times in the extremities.”
The trooper’s cruiser was struck by a bullet to the front driver’s-side post during the encounter. As people fled from their vehicles, some attempting to take cover underneath their cars, the trooper and the civilian closed the distance and engaged.
Approximately 50 to 60 rounds were fired during the incident. The entire encounter, from the first shots to the suspect being incapacitated, lasted only minutes.
After the suspect was down, both the trooper and Cambridge police officers transitioned from a tactical response to medical aid. They treated Brown on scene before he was transported to a Boston hospital, where he is in intensive care being treated for gunshot wounds to the extremities.
