Listen on Justice Report
You can access the audio edition by subscribing on our website or through Substack or Odysee.
Rutland, Vermont – Two Black men from Massachusetts have been arrested for the shooting death of a White Vermont father, reportedly mistaken for a rival drug dealer.
Security camera footage from November 15 appears to show 32-year-old Christopher Hale calmly knocking on a door on Elm Street in Rutland, Vermont. While waiting for an answer, multiple shots ring out, striking the porch where the camera is located. The alleged shooter, 28-year-old Dylin Wainscott, appears to be running from the scene in the background as Hale falls and is dragged inside.
Hale later died at the hospital.
Dylin Wainscott is further alleged to have fled to a vehicle driven by a third individual, identified as Dakota Moretti, whose race remains unknown.
According to VT Digger, Moretti dropped Wainscott off with 31-year-old Precious Okorie who was in yet another vehicle.
Moretti appears to have later fully cooperated with authorities to set up a sting operation, resulting in the arrests of Okorie and Wainscott on November 15, the day of the alleged shooting.
Prosecutor Ian Sullivan believes Precious Okorie ordered a hit on a drug dealer known as “Josh,” with Dylin Wainscott acting as the hitman.
Okorie faces charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being an accessory before the fact, and is currently held on $100,000 bail.
Wainscott, charged with first-degree murder and possession of illicit narcotics, is not eligible for bail pending further hearings.
Both men could face life in prison if convicted.
Additionally, the two suspects have a documented history of serious criminal allegations and arrests spanning multiple states.
In 2023, Precious Okorie was arrested after allegedly breaking into a woman’s home while posing as a landlord. According to the South Windsor, CT Police, Okorie used fake documents and a false identity to collect rent from the victim.
When the scheme was uncovered and the victim refused to pay, police say Okorie forced entry into the home.
The suspect was reportedly undeterred by the presence of two children in the residence.
Dylin Wainscott, the alleged shooter of Christopher Hale, had an outstanding arrest warrant from 2017 related to heroin trafficking. Prior to his arrest, police in Westfield, MA stated, “Mr. Wainscott is wanted in connection with the recent seizure of nearly 1,000 bags of heroin.”
Any related case files do not appear to be publicly available.
Several Facebook profiles linked to individuals from Rutland, Vermont, claim that November 21 would have marked Christopher Hale’s 33rd birthday.
According to Vinelink, Hale was recently released from prison after serving approximately five years and would have turned 33 shortly after his death. The sentence was part of a plea deal that resolved numerous charges, including felonies such as robbery, aggravated assault, and attempted assault.
The deal, offered in late 2023, followed Hale’s demonstrated improvement since his initial incarceration in 2019 and his commitment to maintaining sobriety.
Hale appears to have left behind a daughter, a young White girl, approximately 10 years old.
Court records also reference “kids,” suggesting he may have had additional children.
In 2018, Hale expressed his love for his daughter, saying, “You were the one who motivated me to do my best. You were my peace, my happiness, [and] my everything. I love you, Cadence Mae.”
Rutland, a city located in central Vermont about 70 miles north of the Massachusetts border, has an estimated population of 15,630, with White residents making up 93% of the population.
As the county seat of Rutland County, the city anchors a region with a projected population of just over 60,000, 94.4% of whom are White.
According to FBI crime data, Hale’s death marks the fourth homicide in Rutland since January 2019.
Between 2019 and 2023, non-Whites accounted for 23% of violent offense arrests in Rutland—nearly three times their share of the population. Black individuals, who made up nearly half of those arrests, were overrepresented in the crime data by a factor exceeding 20.
Black crime in majority-White communities is a systematic issue throughout the United States.
In June, a 3-year-old White boy died from his injuries after police say he was violently stabbed alongside his mother in the parking lot of a grocery store in 86.4% White North Olmstead Ohio.
Police arrested a Black woman in connection with the crime, alleging she attacked the young victim and his mother in a ‘random act of violence.’
In September, the 74% White community of Lyons New York was terrorized by gunshots that left a White family man dead.
The Justice Report discovered that the alleged suspect—a Black man—was the father of his girlfriend’s grandchildren.