BOSTON — A man is accused of wounding two drivers when he fired at least 70 rounds from an assault weapon into a vehicle Busy street near Boston He pleaded not guilty Thursday to assault and other charges.
Tyler Brown, 46, who appeared in Cambridge District Court via video from a hospital bed, did not speak and appeared to have his eyes closed during most of the brief hearing. He shook his head when the judge said not guilty pleas had been entered on his behalf to charges of armed assault with intent to murder and six other charges, including possession of a weapon without a license.
Judge David Frank ordered him to remain in custody, either in hospital or in prison, pending a hearing on May 21. Carolyn McGowan, Brown’s attorney, declined to speak at the hearing other than to answer the judge’s questions about scheduling issues. The General Counsel Services Committee/Division of the Public Defender, where she is listed as senior trial counsel, did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown is accused of opening fire Monday afternoon on a heavily traveled road along the Charles River in Cambridge. Panicked drivers abandoned their cars or hid under them for cover.
One man who was shot in the back of the head has since been released from the hospital, while another driver who was shot four times in the leg remains hospitalized, Assistant Middlesex District Attorney Nicole Allen said.
About an hour before the shooting, Brown communicated with his parole officer via video. Armed with a gun, he said in a video that he had relapsed and wanted to end his life. His parole officer contacted police, who began searching for Brown and found him in Cambridge using phone records.
The complaint describes what led up to the shooting. According to investigators, Brown was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, and was released from a psychiatric hospital on Friday.
According to the complaint, Brown is on parole and probation for crimes including armed assault, murder and other gun-related convictions. His parole was scheduled to expire this week, although his probation continues.
Megan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, said Brown was not licensed to carry a firearm.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan described Brown’s criminal history dating back to 1994, when he was convicted of armed robbery in Michigan. He was also convicted of fleeing in Michigan in 1997 and of drug crimes in New Hampshire in 2007.
In Massachusetts, he has been convicted of multiple assault and weapons charges, most recently in 2021, when he was convicted of shooting at officers.
Prosecutors said at the time that he should serve at least 10 years in prison, because of the “egregious level of violence” and because he was on probation for a 2014 conviction on assault and witness intimidation charges. Instead, the judge ordered Brown to serve five to six years in state prison and three years on probation with credit for approximately 18 months spent in custody.
At the time, the judge’s decision sparked anger and criticism among local officials concerned that violent crime perpetrators were not being held accountable — concerns that have resurfaced. “Talk about a dropped ball,” the Boston Police Association said in a statement on social media.
During his sentencing in 2021, his probation officer warned that Brown remained a “danger to the community,” and the police officer who shot him warned that he was “going to hurt or kill somebody.” But Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders said she also took into account his psychological issues and childhood trauma when sentencing her.
“Mr. Brown, I realize I’m taking a bit of a risk on you,” the judge told him. “I’m just praying you know my hunch is right.”