District attorney praises officer who shot man who killed two Black bystanders moments earlier

BOSTON — A police officer who shot and killed a man who gunned down two Black people moments earlier in the Boston suburb of Winthrop in 2021 used reasonable force to defend himself and others and won’t face criminal charges, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Tuesday.

Nathan Allen, 28, shot and killed David Green, a retired Massachusetts State Police trooper, and Romana Cooper, an Air Force veteran, after emerging from a stolen truck that he had crashed into a building in the community near Logan International Airport, authorities said.

Officials described Green and Cooper as innocent bystanders. Allen was fatally shot by Winthrop Police Sgt. Nicholas Bettano.

“Our investigation makes clear that the officer’s actions were justified that tragic day. Indeed, it is likely that this officer’s brave actions saved others from being injured or killed as a result of Nathan Allen’s racially-motivated rampage,” Hayden said in a written statement.

“This was a terrifying incident for Winthrop, rooted in Nathan Allen’s deep White Supremacist hatred. Winthrop leaders and residents deserve great credit for how they have moved to heal the wounds from that tragic day,” he added.

Hayden said that on June 26, 2021, Bettano responded to a report of an active shooter, according to a report released Tuesday. Before Bettano arrived at the location, Allen had already shot Green and Cooper using a 9 mm Smith & Wesson. Allen had no criminal history, had a firearms license and owned three guns, police said.

Allen was initially spotted barefoot and captured on surveillance footage walking near a cemetery and onto a school baseball field, according to investigators. He then stole a box truck and ultimately hit another car as well as a small building, officials said.