Did Major General Beale shoot down Rick's helicopter and kill Okafor?

Lt. Col. Donald Okafor, portrayed by actor Craig Tate, was a newly introduced character in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. He was a soldier for the Civic Republic Military, the first line of defense for the hidden city of the Civic Republic. He saw something in Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his co-worker and former South African Naval woman, Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt), and encouraged them to join the military.

Okafor oversaw Rick and Thorne's training and eventually held a private meeting with them, where he shared a lot of inside information regarding the inner workings of the CRM. He believes both can be the type of people the CRM needs to make positive changes.

After Okafor and Rick have a knock-down-drag-out fight, Okafor stations Rick and Thorne in the Cascades to create a force command center from an old college building, a project that takes 12 months to complete.

Later, Rick pilots a helicopter carrying Okafor and some others as they travel up the coast. Okafor is giving Rick a speech about not knowing the outcome of what they have planned but knows Rick is key. He is then shot by some type of weapon, which kills him instantly and then explodes, killing Okafor. The weapon appeared to be pretty sophisticated, more so than the group of caravaners who are allies of Michonne's, who was initially suspected of shooting down the aircraft.

Before Rick leaves Philadelphia, he has a conversation with Major General Beale (Terry O'Quinn), who suspects Okafor of misdoings. He asks Rick if there is anything he should know about Okafor, and Rick tells him no, but the look on Beale's face says he doesn't believe him.

Did Beale order the attack on Okafor?

What if Beale ordered the helicopter shot down, or at least Okafor killed? This wouldn't be unheard of, as Beale is a ruthless man who ordered the communities of Omaha, the Omaha Colony, and Portland wiped out. It may be a wild theory, but it is worth thinking about.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live returns with new episodes on AMC and AMC+ on Sundays through March 31, when the finale airs.

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