Tyler Brown, the suspect in custody for a Monday shootout in Cambridge, was part of the Tufts University Prison Initiative’s education and reentry program until February, according to social media posts and a statement from the university.
MyTERN helps formerly incarcerated people reenter society through a combination of Tufts coursework, an 18-credit Civic Studies certificate program and general support for students’ social, emotional and financial well-being, including housing and employment assistance.
Brown fired 60 rounds at random targets with an assault-style rifle on Memorial Drive between River Street and Pleasant Street Extension at around 1 pm on Monday, sending two men to the hospital in critical condition. Brown was transported to the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds from shots fired by a Massachusetts State Police trooper and a former U.S. Marine.
In a statement to the Daily, Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, acknowledged Brown’s participation in the program and said the university was cooperating with the authorities. The university declined to comment further.
“Tyler Brown was a participant in the Tufts University Prison Initiative’s re-entry program known as MyTERN (Tufts Education and Re-entry Network) until February of this year when he stopped attending,” Collins wrote. “The university is actively working to gather information about the incident and is cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities.”
Brown is expected to face charges on two counts of armed assault with attempt to murder, as well as several firearm charges. He has a long history in the criminal justice system, including a six-year prison sentence for a stabbing as well as drug charges, possession of a dangerous weapon and armed robbery. In 2020, he accepted a plea deal and another six-year prison sentence for firing an estimated 17 rounds at four Boston police officers in the South End.
He was released on parole in May 2025 after completing a Tufts violence reduction program and was ordered to take classes through TUPIT, according to reporting from The Boston Globe. He also suffers from mental health disorders, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, according to the criminal complaint for Monday’s shooting.
Brown had been released from a psychiatric hospital three days before the shooting and was on the phone with his parole officer moments before, saying he had relapsed on his cocaine addiction and was ready to end his life, according to the complaint.
Brown was featured as a speaker in a TUPIT Instagram post in February celebrating its annual Community Conversations Dinner.
