Authorities said the suspect in the Berlin shooting died during a standoff that shut down Interstate 495 in Lowell.
LOWELL, MA — Massachusetts State Police used a robotic dog and a small drone Tuesday after a fatal shooting at a Berlin shopping plaza led to a nearly three-hour standoff on Interstate 495 in Lowell.
The case tied together a daytime killing, a witness who followed the suspect’s vehicle and a major highway shutdown during the evening commute. Authorities later identified the victim as Nicholas Ferreira, 35, of Haverhill, and the suspected shooter as Edward Pyne, 43, of Salem, New Hampshire. Officials said the two men knew each other, but they had not released a motive.
The shooting was reported about 3:30 p.m. at Highland Commons, a shopping area in Berlin near the Hudson line. Berlin police said officers were first sent to a report of an assault in progress, with possible gunfire in the northwest part of the parking lot. First responders found Ferreira suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. People at the scene tried to help him before emergency crews arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. “You just hear a loud bang,” witness Owen Ott said, describing the moment shots rang out near the stores.
After the shooting, a witness followed the suspect’s vehicle as it left the plaza and got onto I-495, officials said. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said that information helped state police locate the vehicle and force it to stop near the Lowell Connector. Police vehicles then surrounded a pickup truck in the highway median. The standoff closed traffic in both directions about 4:30 p.m., leaving drivers stuck for miles while tactical teams, negotiators and specialized police units moved into place.
State police said multiple units responded, including SWAT, crisis negotiators, the bomb squad and drone teams. Armored police vehicles boxed in the pickup before officers sent in remote equipment. A robotic dog approached the truck and was used to break a window. State Police Deputy Superintendent Dan Tucker said the tint on the window blocked a clear view, so police used nonlethal rounds to finish breaking the glass. A small drone was then flown into the vehicle. Tucker said the drone allowed officers to identify that the suspect was dead before officers moved closer to secure the truck.
Officials said Pyne died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No officers were reported injured during the standoff. Authorities said Pyne had a criminal history, but they had not given details about that history or explained what led to the shooting at the shopping plaza. The case remained under investigation by Berlin police, Massachusetts State Police and prosecutors in Worcester and Middlesex counties. The two scenes were about 27 miles apart, stretching the response from the Highland Commons parking lot to a busy section of I-495 in Lowell.
The use of the robot dog and drone drew attention because the machines let officers check the vehicle without immediately approaching a possibly armed suspect. Aerial video showed the robotic dog near the pickup and the drone entering through broken glass. Tucker said the response required “an amazing amount of teamwork” and unfolded quickly. The operation also showed how police are using remote tools in dangerous scenes that once would have required officers to move closer with less information.
At Highland Commons, shoppers described shock after seeing police tape and emergency crews in a place normally filled with stores and routine errands. “So unexpected,” Ott said. “I never thought that someone would have gotten shot here.” Another shopper, David Baca, said the scene felt unreal for the area. “Stuff like that never happens up here,” he said. On I-495, some drivers turned across the median while others waited through the shutdown as police worked around the surrounded pickup.
The highway reopened later Tuesday evening after police secured the scene. Investigators had identified both men by Thursday, July 2, and said the inquiry into the shooting, the pursuit and the standoff was continuing.
Author note: Last updated July 4, 2026.