A 28-year-old white man who drew swastikas and wrote of whites being “apex predators” killed two Black people — an Air Force veteran and a retired state trooper — after a driving a stolen box truck into a home Saturday in Winthrop, MA.
The killer, Nathan Allen, “died after exchanging gunfire with a Winthrop police sergeant who had responded to the chaotic scene, which unfolded in front of terrified residents, including children,” reported the Boston Globe.
“The victims were Ramona Cooper, 60, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, and David L. Green, 68, the retired trooper. Cooper was shot three times in the back by Allen, who fired seven rounds into Green’s head, neck, and torso, according to Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins.”
Police said Allen had stolen a box truck from a plumbing company, crashed it into a home — after driving it at high speeds– on a quiet residential street. He fled the truck, jumped over a fence, and shot Cooper and Green a short distance from the wreck.
Here’s more from the Globe’s report:
“During the subsequent police investigation, officials found ‘troubling white supremacist rhetoric’ handwritten by Allen, Rollins said. The statements included antisemitic and racist statements against Black individuals, she said.
“In a written statement Sunday night, Rollins said Allen, who drew swastikas, wrote about the “superiority of the white race” and of “whites being ‘apex predators.'”
“In the statement, Rollins said Allen had a doctorate, was married, and employed. To all external sources he likely appeared unassuming, she said.
“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,'” Rollins said.
“During his rampage, Allen walked by several people who were not Black, and they were not harmed, Rollins said.
“They are alive, and these two visible people of color are not,” Rollins said, later adding, “It was a tragedy that it was two people; it could have been many, many more.”
And there was this:
“Rollins said authorities do not know where Allen was going Saturday, but the scene is close to Jewish houses of worship. He was traveling at twice the speed limit when he crashed, she said.
“Rollins said Allen, who was legally licensed to carry a firearm, was not on her radar.
“He had nothing in his background check,” Rollins said.”
The newspaper reported that, Allen had been featured by a Globe columnist last August in a story “that profiled Allen and his proposal to his then-fiancée amid the pandemic.” It said he attended the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and “was on track to becoming a physical therapist and had just completed his schoolwork. He was expected to start an internship in Plymouth last year.”
Green and Cooper — who had rushed from his nearby home to intervene — were lauded as heroes in their hometown.
“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,” Rollins said. “And we will find out why and find out more about this man who did this.”
A suspected gunman allegedly stole a truck and crashed it into a building before shooting two people Saturday afternoon in Winthrop, MA. The suspect was shot on scene, and has now been pronounced dead. pic.twitter.com/Y4aW0BU7ry
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 26, 2021
[via Raw Story]