2 WHO DIED PRAISED FOR HEROIC ACTIONS
Retired trooper, Air Force staff sergeant shot and killed in weekend Winthrop rampage
A violent rampage through the sleepy seaside streets of Winthrop that left a “heroic” retired state trooper and an Air Force staff sergeant dead on Saturday may have been motivated by white supremacy, authorities said.
“This is a sad day. These two people protected our rights. They fought for us to be safe and to have the opinions that we have and they were executed yesterday,” District Attorney Rachael Rollins said, speaking near the scene on Sunday. “We will find out why and find out more about this man that did this.”
Retired State Police trooper David L. Green and Air Force Staff Sgt. Ramona Cooper, 60, both of Winthrop, were gunned down in broad daylight in their own neighborhood when 28year-old Nathan Allen crashed a stolen truck into a building, crawled out of the wreckage and began shooting, Rollins said. Both were described as innocent bystanders.
Police have discovered “some troubling white supremacist rhetoric” in Allen’s own handwriting and are investigating Saturday’s events as a potential hate crime, the district attorney confirmed.
The writings included anti-semitic and racist statements against Black individuals, according to Rollins.
Telling reporters she “can’t speculate,” Rollins said some evidence points to racist motivations for the murders.
“What I can tell you at this early stage is that he walked by several other people that were not Black and they are alive. They were not
harmed,” Rollins said. “These two visible people of color are not.”
Rollins said it appears Allen “acted alone.” She and the Winthrop Police chief agreed there is no continued threat to the community.
One neighbor, Kim Carillo, said she came face-toface with the killer and lived.
“We made eye contact. He could have shot me,” said Carillo, a white woman.
Carillo said she and a friend flung themselves behind a utility pole to shield themselves as Allen opened fire on their neighbors and a Winthrop officer shouted at them to get down. She said the gunman walked eerily “casually” down the street after stopping to reload and leaving carnage behind him.
“He was ready. Whatever he was doing, he was ready,” Carillo said.
Allen, who was armed with two handguns, was shot to death by a Winthrop Police sergeant after the shootings and after Allen had crashed a stolen truck into a building at the corner of Shirley and Cross streets, decimating it, at 2:43 p.m. on Saturday.
Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty, who joined Rollins to speak with reporters, said “we have no tolerance for hate in this community.” Delehanty said police and elected officials have worked to address intolerance in the past in the town that is 94% white.
Rollins said Allen was not “on my radar” prior to Saturday’s rampage and had a lawful license to carry a firearm, which means he passed a background check.
“But this person yesterday killed two people,” Rollins said, promising a robust investigation.
Green was often referred to as a “true gentleman” by his brothers and sisters in blue, State Police Col. Christopher Mason said in a statement identifying Green as one of the victims.
“Trooper Green was widely respected and wellliked by his fellow Troopers,” Mason said.
State Police Association of Massachusetts members remembered Green, who retired just five years ago, saying they were “saddened” by Green’s death.
“Even in retirement, Trooper Green never stopped trying to save lives. Ultimately, he was murdered trying to protect the public and save innocent lives. Once a trooper, always a trooper. His sacrifice and heroism will not be forgotten,” union President Mike Cherven said.
Rollins described both victims as “heroic” when speaking to reporters on Sunday.
Bouquets of yellow sunflowers and prayer cards adorned the temporary chain-link fencing erected to separate the demolished brick building from the sidewalk. Caution tape kept passersby from getting too close but dozens walked past the crime scene at the corner of Shirley and Cross streets on Sunday wondering how such an explosion of violence could infiltrate their sleepy seaside town.
“I’m just in shock,” said one neighbor, who asked not to be named.
Floral bouquets also decorated Green’s Beach Road doorstep, where no one answered the door on Sunday.
The Winthrop chief said that the sergeant who shot and killed Allen during his rampage “saved many more lives that day.”
Two other people who were injured when their car crashed during the incident are hospitalized and are expected to survive, according to Delehanty.