Who is Nathan Allen? Winthrop shooting suspect ‘executed’ Black victims
WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS: Police authorities have found a white supremacist rhetoric written by a gunman suspected of killing a retired State Police trooper and an Air Force veteran in Winthrop on Saturday, June 26 - a shooting that remains under investigation as a hate crime.
Two people were fatally shot by Nathan Allen, 28. At around 2:45 pm Saturday, Allen crashed a stolen truck into a building near the intersection of Shirley and Cross streets before allegedly shooting two Black bystanders, one retired state trooper, David Green, 58 and an Air force veteran, Ramona Cooper, 60.
Allen shot Green four times in the head and three times in his torso and killed Cooper by shooting three times in the back. He was ultimately killed by a responding sergeant. Authorities have said that Green may have allegedly tried to stop and engage Allen. Police say Allen was armed with two weapons.
RELATED ARTICLES
Who is Scott Walker? Man kills daughter, 17, after she accuses him of sex abuse
"A preliminary investigation indicates that the male suspect allegedly stole a box truck owned by a plumbing and drain company and then crashed into a residential building on Veterans Road," police said. "Following the crash, the suspect emerged from the truck and fled on foot. At some point shortly thereafter, the suspect, who was armed with a firearm, is believed to have shot the two adult victims."
On social media, Allen has painted a picture of mundane and apolitical life, writing about his rabbits and being featured with his future wife in a flattering Boston Globe article that detailed how they got married in a nursing home so her grandfather could visit in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had no criminal history. Prosecutors say those attributes were a front that hid a darker side, fueled by racism.
Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that while investigations were in the early stages, anti-Black and anti-Semitic writings were found and tied to Allen. She referred to the killings as ‘executions’ and stated that witnesses pointed out that Allen passed other White bystanders. "This individual wrote about the superiority of the white race," Rollins said in a statement. "About whites being ‘apex predators.’ He drew swastikas." Reports reveal that Allen "was married and employed. He had a PhD and no criminal history. To all external sources he likely appeared unassuming," Rollins said. Rollins said, Allen, "was not on my radar" and authorities believe he acted alone. “This is a sad day,” she told reporters. “These two people fought for us, to be safe and to have the opinions we have, and they were executed."
Police responded to the area after receiving reports of gunfire and an officer fatally shot Allen, according to a statement from Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty. The officer who shot the gunman was placed on administrative leave, per standard procedure. “We have no tolerance for hate in this community,” Delehanty said, noting he’d tasked the local public health director to provide counseling sessions in the community. “We’ll continue to work on it.”