The two victims of Saturday's shooting in Winthrop, retired Mass. State Trooper David Green (L) and former Air Force Staff Sergeant Ramona Cooper (R). The Suffolk County D.A. is looking into the shooting as a hate crime. Photo: Suffolk District Attorney's Office.
WINTHROP, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — "They fought for us to be safe, and to have the opinions that we have, and they were executed." That's how Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins described Saturday's shooting in Winthrop, a suspected hate crime that left two victims and the alleged shooter dead.
The D.A. said the victims of the attack, retired State Trooper David L. Green and former Air Force Staff Sergeant Ramona Cooper, had "protected our rights," in their careers.
A spokesman for the Mass. State Police said David Green had served in law enforcement for 36 years, and was remembered as "widely respected and well-liked by his fellow Troopers, several of whom yesterday described him as a 'true gentleman,'...always courteous to the public and meticulous in his duties."
Nick Tsiotos described Green as his best friend, and knew him for 53 years. "[He's] the kind of guy that would take people off the street and bring them to homeless shelters at night, and would confront any type of situation," Tsiotos told WBZ NewsRadio's Matt Shearer. "Great, great guy. Everybody loved him."
Read More: Suspect Identified In Potential Hate Crime In Winthrop
Green's brother Aria Ray told WBZ-TV that Green "just gave freely of himself all the time...some people are nice, he was kind. He would help anyone at any time."
The second victim, Ramona Cooper, was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Her son Gary described Cooper as generous, "the type of person to help anyone out," according to WBZ-TV. Cooper was working with veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs when she died.
D.A. Rollins said Sunday that she was investigating the shooting as a hate crime, as both victims were Black, and suspected shooter Nathan Allen walked by and interacted with several bystanders who were not.
Rollins also said police had found "troubling white supremacist rhetoric" written by Allen, including swastikas, anti-Semitic statements, and writings about "the superiority of the white race."
Police said Allen crashed a stolen box truck into a house in Winthrop and shot both victims multiple times before being shot and killed by Winthrop Police.
A vigil for the victims is planned for 7:00 PM on Thursday in front of Winthrop City Hall.
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel