STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Vermont State Police arrests suspect in connection with fatal shooting in Greensboro

 

GREENSBORO, Vermont (Friday, Oct. 29, 2021) — Following further investigation, the Vermont State Police on Friday evening, Oct. 29, 2021, arrested Darryl Johnson, 48, of Greensboro on suspicion of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Robert Chaplin, 27, of East Hardwick.

 

The shooting occurred Oct. 20 outside Johnson’s home on Eligo Lake Road.

 

The Vermont State Police has worked closely on this investigation with the Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office, along with the Hardwick Police Department and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

 

The court ordered Johnson jailed for lack of $100,000 cash or surety bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Newport.

 

The Vermont State Police is unable to comment further at this time. The affidavit of probable cause will be filed with the court and made public following Johnson’s arraignment. Members of the media should call the Court Clerk's Office prior to arraignment to confirm details of the hearing.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 4:10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22***

As the investigation continues into the fatal shooting in Greensboro that occurred Wednesday night, the Vermont State Police is releasing additional information about the case.

 

The series of events that led to the shooting began at about 6:50 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Hardwick Convenience and Deli store located at 454 Vermont Route 15 in Hardwick. A store clerk called the Hardwick Police Department after a man, later determined to be Robert Chaplin, 27, of East Hardwick, was denied service to purchase alcohol because he was deemed too intoxicated. A second man, later identified as Darryl Johnson, 48, of Greensboro, intervened in a dispute between Chaplin and the store clerk. Chaplin had left the store before Hardwick police arrived.

 

About 90 minutes later, Chaplin arrived at the home of Johnson on Eligo Lake Road, and an altercation ensued outside the residence between the two men during which Johnson fired a handgun, striking Chaplin. Hardwick Rescue subsequently transported Chaplin to Copley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 

An autopsy performed Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined that the cause of Chaplin’s death was a gunshot wound to the arm and chest, and the manner of death was a homicide.

 

The investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing, and no one is in custody. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team is continuing to process the location where the shooting occurred and is expected to conclude that work later Friday.

 

Along with CSST, VSP’s investigation has involved members of the Major Crime Unit and Victim Services Unit. In addition, VSP worked with the Hardwick Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office.

 

No further details are available today. The Vermont State Police will continue to provide updates as the case develops.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 4:55 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21***

Following a request Thursday afternoon from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, the Vermont State Police is assuming the lead role in the investigation of a fatal shooting that occurred Wednesday night, Oct. 20, 2021, in Greensboro.

 

The incident occurred at about 8:13 p.m. Wednesday at 1119 Eligo Lake Rd. The deceased is identified as Robert Chaplin, 27, of East Hardwick. The shooting occurred following a dispute that began earlier Wednesday in Hardwick between the victim and Darryl Johnson, 48, of Greensboro.

 

The circumstances surrounding the dispute and the subsequent shooting are under active investigation. No one is currently in custody. The incident is believed to be isolated, and there is no threat to public safety.

 

The Vermont State Police investigation is in its earliest stages and includes members of the Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Search Team and Victim Services Unit. In addition, VSP is working with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office.

 

Anyone with information that might assist in this investigation is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in Derby at 802-334-8881. Tips also may be submitted online anonymously at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No further details are available at this time. VSP will provide updates as the investigation continues.

 

 

***Initial news release from Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021***

On October 20, 2021, at approximately 2014 hours a 911 call was received for a citizen dispute on Eligo Lake Road in Greensboro.   A dispute between Darryl Johnson and Robert Chaplin had started earlier in the day in the town of Hardwick.  A firearm was involved in the dispute and Chaplin is deceased.  There is an active ongoing investigation.  This is an isolated incident, and the public can be assured the residents are safe.   The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department is working closely with the Orleans County States Attorney’s Office.

 

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