Police are investigating the fatal shooting of two black people in Massachusetts as a possible hate crime after uncovering evidence in the gunman’s handwriting reciting racist rhetoric.
The gunman, who was killed by police on Saturday, allegedly stole a plumber’s truck, crashed it into a house, and shot two bystanders in Winthrop, outside of Boston. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins identified the suspected shooter as 28-year-old Nathan Allen, who allegedly wrote about the “superiority” of white people.
“At this preliminary stage of the investigation, the excellent work of law enforcement has already unearthed troubling white supremacy rhetoric and statements written by the shooter,” Rollins said in a statement on Sunday. “This individual wrote about the superiority of the white race. About whites being ‘apex predators.’ He drew swastikas.”
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Allen was married and employed, held a Ph.D., and had no criminal history, according to Rollins.
“To all external sources he likely appeared unassuming,” Rollins said. “And then, yesterday afternoon he stole a box truck, crashed it into another vehicle and a property, walked away from the wreckage interacting with multiple individuals and choosing only to shoot and kill the two Black people he encountered.”
The victims were identified as David Green, 58, and 60-year-old Ramona Cooper. Green was a retired Massachusetts State Police officer who served in law enforcement for 36 years and Cooper was an Air Force veteran who worked with the military.
Green was shot several times in the head, torso, and neck. Cooper was struck multiple times in the back.
A Winthrop police officer was also hospitalized, but “was not seriously injured,” according to a report by NBC News.
Winthrop authorities expressed condolences for the families of the two victims, and thanked all officers involved who responded to the incident.
“The sergeant’s heroic actions ended a threat to our community and I am proud to have him as a part of this department,” Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty said in a statement.
Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher Mason commended the service of Green, who initially joined in 1980 and became a state trooper in 1992.
“Trooper Green was widely respected and well-liked by his fellow Troopers, several of whom yesterday described him as a ‘true gentleman’ and always courteous to the public and meticulous in his duties. From what we learned yesterday, he was held in equally-high regard by his neighbors and friends in Winthrop,” Mason said in a statement on Facebook.
Several law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident.
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The Winthrop Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
