DA Rollins Says Winthrop Murders Show Massachusetts Is Not Safe From Racist Violence

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Suffolk County Prosecutor Rachael Rollins said on Monday the murder on Saturday of two black Wintrhop residents Ramona Cooper and David Green should serve as a reminder that even largely liberal Massachusetts is not immune to hate-motivated killings .

On Saturday in Winthrop, Nathan Allen, 28, crashed a stolen truck from a building, got out of the vehicle and shot dead Green, a retired Massachusetts State Police soldier, and Cooper, a veteran of the ‘Air Force. Allen was then shot dead by police.

Rollins discussed the attack with Jim Braude on GBH’s Greater Boston area on Monday.

We believe he was motivated by hate, Rollins said. Law enforcement, Rollins said, found hateful language and, in a way, rants from someone who I believe is becoming or has already been radicalized.

Investigators found writings in his handwriting that call out the superior white race, as well as designs of swastikas. Additionally, after crashing the truck, Rollins said he passed several people who were obviously not people of color before shooting Green and Cooper.

The prosecutor added that investigators believed he acted on his own, although they have yet to get a full picture of what he has read, the websites he has visited or the entities he has been dealing with. could be affiliated.

The shooting, Rollins noted, comes against the backdrop of other hate-motivated killings in the United States. It’s not something where our community in North Suffolk County like we have to think, “Oh, that doesn’t happen here. It’s just a southern problem, ”she said. Or even, looking at the January 6 insurgency, we think, “Oh, we don’t know people like that, these are people that we know of. This has now seeped into our community.

Rollins also noted that the shooter might not meet many people’s expectations due to implied bias. He was married and had earned a doctorate and, prior to his marriage last year, was featured in a Boston Globe column about his fiance and grandfather. This person had no criminal record and went from zero [his] criminal record to double homicide and many other potential crimes, she said.

WATCH: Rollins spoke to Jim Braude from Greater Boston

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