Grief counselors went door to door in Winthrop to check on members of the community left shaken by a deadly shooting being investigated as a hate crime.
A crisis intervention team went door-to-door Tuesday in Winthrop, Massachusetts, where residents are shaken by a gunman's shooting rampage that killed two Black people.
The team, made up of local police and social workers, listened to residents and offered any social services they might need. The message was that no one is alone.
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"Everybody knows somebody, so we are all connected to each other somehow. One big family, watching out for each other as best as we can," Sgt. Sarko Gergerian said.
The man who killed a retired state police trooper and an Air Force veteran "had very disturbing beliefs," Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Monday, reiterating her belief that the attack was motivated by bigotry.
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Nathan Allen, 28, crashed a stolen plumbing company truck into a building, flattening it, then got out and shot two people down the street, authorities have said. David Green, a 58-year-old retired Massachusetts State Police officer, and Ramona Cooper, a 60-year-old Air Force veteran who still worked with the military, were killed, while he opted not to shoot other people who aren't Black.
The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, and more details are coming to light about his background, including that he received a degree in physical therapy earlier this year. Investigators said they could release some of his hateful writings as early as Monday night or Tuesday.
A meeting will be held Wednesday where people can drop in to ask questions. A candlelight vigil is planned for victims of the shooting Thursday evening outside the town hall.
Two people who said they came face-to-face with the gunman on Saturday and were not shot described him looking right at them.
A grainy image of the shooter shared by Melissa Gratta shows him a block from the scene of the truck crash holding what appears to be a pistol in his hand.
“I just can’t believe he was so close, he wasn’t even a foot away from me,” Bill Leach said.
“I’m really grateful to be standing here right now, he was this close to me," Kim Carillo said.
Investigators believe the gunman acted alone, according to Rollins.
