Nathan Allen was named as the gunman who shot and killed a retired Massachusetts state trooper and Air Force staff sergeant after crashing a stolen box truck into a building in Winthrop. He left behind white supremacist writings targeting Jews and Blacks, authorities said.
The bizarre incident unfolded in Winthrop, Massachusetts in a chaotic scene on the street and ended with police shooting and killing the suspect. The local district attorney released Allen’s name. “Two innocent people lost their lives,” DA Rachel Rollins said, adding that the murders are being investigated as a hate crime. Both victims were Black. She believes Allen acted alone.
Asked whether the victims were targeted for the color of their skin, she said, “He walked by several other people that were not Black and they are alive, they were not harmed,” Rollins said. “They are alive and these two people of color are not.”
Ramona Cooper, a veteran, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, was shot three times in the back. David L. Green, a retired Massachusetts state trooper was “executed yesterday, shot four times in the head and three in the torso,” she said, adding that both were heroic.
Three police were shot in all, including the suspected gunman, Winthrop police said in a statement. Police shot the gunman. They said the truck was stolen.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Believe Nathan Allen, Who Left Behind Racist & Anti-Semitic Rhetoric, Stole a Box Truck Owned by a Plumbing & Drain Company
Rollins revealed that the suspect wrote antisemitic and racist statements.
“There is some troubling white supremacist rhetoric that was found in Nathan Allen’s own handwriting, antisemitic and racist sentiments against Black individuals,” Rollins said in a news conference. “This is a sad day, these two people protected our rights and fought for us to be safe. They were executed yesterday and we will find out why.”
She said he was not on her radar before.
The mass shooting started with a stolen vehicle, police say.
“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. 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,” police wrote.
Video at the chaotic scene showed a second vehicle crash as well. The truck was stamped with the logo of Rapid Flow, Inc. sewer and drain cleaning.
John M. Guilfoil, who performs public relations for police, wrote on Twitter early on, “We are confirming a mass casualty incident in Winthrop per @Winthroppolice. Very active scene at this time.”
He added, “Crime scene is in the area of Shirley St and Veterans Road. Motorists are asked to avoid the area at this time and throughout the evening.”
2. Photos Showed the Box Truck Embedded in the Building; Allen Had a Lawful License to Carry a Firearm
The DA said that Nathan Allen was legally authorities to carry a firearm in Massachusetts, saying, “We do know he did have a lawful license to carry that transferred from another town, meaning he had nothing in his background check.”
The first officer at the scene thought he was responding to a car accident, Rollins said. She said Allen was traveling twice the speed limit. “Houses of worship for Jewish people are right around these corners,” she said.
But Rollins said authorities aren’t sure where Allen was going.
Here’s another photo from the scene, which shows the large truck embedded in the brick building. The motive and whether it was intentional or random are not yet clear, as the incident broke out in the afternoon hours of Saturday, June 26, 2021.
“These families deserve answers, and we will find out what happened here,” Rollins pledged.
“These two people fought for our rights… and they were executed yesterday,” Rollins said of the victims. Authorities said they have “no tolerance for hate.”
3. Live Dispatch Audio Captures Officers Shouting, ‘We Have Another Body Down!’
The dispatch audio from the time the incident started captures the frantic response at the scene.
“We have multiple weapons. We just found another firearm,” police said around 24 minutes into this dispatch audio, courtesy of Broadcastify. Police said the original call came in as a “motor vehicle accident.” At 18 minutes into the following auto, the dispatcher says, “Motor vehicle accident with injuries,” at “Shirley and Cross” and reports someone “trapped in the vehicle.”
At 19 minutes in, a frantic officer tells dispatch, “Shots fired. Shots fired! All units, shots fired at Cross and Shirley Street. Shots fired!” The officer says, “You’ve got a body on the ground…it looked like he had a gun. He fired at them.” He says it unfolded in front of a building at Shirley and Veterans. The officer then shouts unintelligibly. “…engaged in gunfire,” he said, adding that the truck was “in a house, with a building collapse” and another vehicle might have fled.
“We have another body down. We have another shot victim down!” an officer then says. Later an officer says, at about 23 minutes into the dispatch audio, “We have multiple victims down… I need you to secure this weapon.” Police also described finding various shell cases and bullets that they were marking at the scene.
Police Chief Terence Delehanty said in a statement that the Winthrop Police Department “is investigating a serious incident that took place Saturday afternoon in which three people were shot.”
He wrote, “Winthrop Police received reports that a large truck had crashed into a building at 2:41 p.m. near the intersection of Shirley and Cross street. Police also received reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, police found two people found shot. A suspect was identified and located by Winthrop Police. Chief Delehanty confirms that police did fire at the suspect during the encounter. The suspect has sustained serious, life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital. At this time, there are no updates on the conditions of the two victims. One police officer was taken to an area hospital for an evaluation but was not seriously injured.”
Police added, “The incident remains under active investigation by Winthrop Police with the assistance of Revere and Boston Police as well as the Massachusetts State Police. At this time, Chief Delehanty believes there is no further danger to the community, however motorists and members of the public area asked to avoid the area at this time to allow emergency crews and investigators to do their work.”
4. A Witness Described the Shooter as Shoeless & Disoriented
Witness Robert Harrington told NECN that the gunman “started jogging, then I heard the ‘boom, boom, boom, boom.”
He said the gunman wasn’t wearing shoes and seemed disoriented.
In a statement, Winthrop police wrote, “Winthrop Police are investigating a very active crime scene in town near the intersection of Shirley Street and Veterans Road. There are multiple injured people and motorists are asked to avoid the area to allow first responders unrestricted access to the scene. We will post additional information as soon as it is available.”
Jay Kenney of 7News tweeted, “At least three people shot in Winthrop per MSP scanner.” A television producer also tweeted that three people were shot, and no officers were hurt.
Reports are preliminary, and be aware that details can change or even be wrong in the earliest stages of breaking tragedies.
Online records say the building is a commercial property that has housed a small real estate firm.
5. One Social Media Account Described ‘Entrapment With the Vehicle Into the Building’
A photographer who covers Massachusetts emergency responses wrote on Twitter, “UD Large Scale Incident Winthrop Ma. Reported fire arms recovered, (1) in custody. FD also reporting entrapment with the vehicle into the building-remains active at this time.”
The site added, “Winthrop Ma. Large Scale Incident-also reported truck into a building with some kind of collapse. Multi mutual aid FD’s/PD’s to scene.”
WMUR-TV’s Eric Weglarz wrote on Twitter, “Winthrop FD requesting all off-duty firefighters to report to Cross & Shirley Streets for the mass casualty incident.”
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