One Winthrop murder victim was a retired state trooper, the other an Air Force veteran; killer may have targeted them because of their race

State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office today identified the two people shot to death in Winthrop as retired state trooper David Green and Air Force veteran Ramona Cooper, 60, both of Winthrop.

NECN reports their killer, Nathan Allen, 28, apparently walked by several White people to shoot his victims.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said today her office is investigating the killings as hate crimes.

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. This individual wrote about the superiority of the white race. About whites being ‘apex predators.’ He drew swastikas.

“There is a growing national, and global, problem with extremism and white supremacy. The FBI believes the most serious domestic violent extremist threat comes from ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocated for the superiority of the white race.’

“This shooter was married and employed. He had a Ph.D. and no criminal history. To all external sources he likely appeared unassuming. 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.

State Police reported that Green retired in 2016 after 36 years in law enforcement. Green started as an MDC officer in 1980, then became a trooper when that police department was merged into State Police. He spent much of his State Police career at the Boston Barracks at Leverett Circle.

In a statement, State Police Col. Christopher Mason said:

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.

Police say both were shot multiple times by Allen, whom they say stole a box truck in Revere, then crashed into a house in Winthrop and ran away, firing at them as he tried to flee. The suspect was also shot dead after being confronted by a Winthrop police officer. At least two other people were injured in a car hit by the truck.

Rollins said her office will conduct an investigation of how a Winthrop police sergeant shot Allen, but said that she already considers him a hero:

When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they believed they were responding to a car accident. A thorough investigation will be conducted by our Discharge Integrity Team regarding the shooting of the armed suspect. The investigation thus far, however, indicates that the Winthrop Police Sergeant commanded that the suspect drop his weapon prior to shooting and immediately rendered aid. This Police Sergeant, like Trooper Green and Staff Sergeant Cooper, is a hero. The Sergeant stopped a volatile and escalating situation, saving lives, and protecting the community he serves.