I-495 closed – A person was killed and the suspect died of self-inflicted wounds after a police standoff on I-495 in Lowell that closed both directions of the highway for hours Tuesday during rush hour. Police say the suspect and victim knew each other, and authorities later
Tuesday afternoon started like a normal rush-hour grind on I-495 in Lowell—until police activity turned the highway into a controlled scene and stopped traffic in both directions.
Authorities said a person was killed in a shooting and that the suspect also died after what Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early described as a police standoff, with the suspect dying of self-inflicted wounds.
Early said Berlin police responded to reports of shots fired around 3:30 p.m. at Highland Plaza in Worcester County. When officers arrived. Early said they found the victim “injured by several gunshot wounds.” Emergency responders provided medical aid. but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities said a witness followed the suspect’s vehicle onto I-495 South. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the vehicle was then stopped by State Police near mile marker 91.
Police accessed the suspect’s vehicle by shattering the window with non-lethal rounds and deploying a drone to assess the situation inside, State Police Deputy Superintendent Daniel Tucker said. Ryan said the suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was declared dead.
Early said the suspect and victim knew each other, though he declined to comment on the specifics of their relationship. Early also said the suspect had a prior criminal record.
“There is no threat to the public at this time,” Early said in a statement. “The investigation is in its early stages and will continue ongoing in the coming days.”
The disruption was immediate and wide-ranging. Police activity resulted in both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-495 being closed Tuesday afternoon.
Early said Berlin police first responded at about 3:30 p.m. to a report of an assault happening in the Highland Commons parking lot. On their way to the scene, they were updated with a report of possible shots fired, police said on Facebook.
Just after 4:30 p.m., State Police said in an X post that I-495 was closed in both directions because of “an ongoing law enforcement investigation,” and urged drivers to avoid the area.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation guidance posted on X directed northbound traffic to detour off Exit 89 to Route 3, and southbound traffic off Exit 92 to Route 38. As of 7:30 p.m., the southbound lane had reopened, but the northbound lanes remained closed, police said on X.
At around 10 p.m. Tuesday, a State Police spokesperson confirmed that all travel lanes were open on I-495 North and South in Lowell.
The episode left commuters and local traffic scrambling for detours and delays through the evening as police worked through the standoff and assessed the scene near mile marker 91. The investigation continues, Early said, even as the roadway ultimately reopened late Tuesday.
I-495 Lowell shooting police standoff Berlin Police Massachusetts State Police Highland Plaza Highland Commons Worcester County DA Joseph Early Middlesex DA Marian Ryan Daniel Tucker