Quadruple amputee cornhole champion acted in self-defense in deadly shooting, attorney says
A Maryland man, Dayton James Webber, who is a quadruple amputee and a champion cornhole player, has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting and killing his friend, Bradrick Michael Wells, during an argument in Webber’s vehicle last month. Webber’s attorney claims that he acted in self-defense.
The incident took place on March 22 in La Plata, Maryland, where Wells was found dead in a yard in Charlotte Hall. Webber, who was later located in a hospital in Virginia, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as assault and firearm charges. He has not entered a plea yet.
During a hearing in Charles County, a judge ordered Webber to be held without bond, citing concerns that he was a danger to society and a flight risk. Prosecutors argued that Webber shot Wells in anger after a friend of Wells allegedly stole a weapon from him. However, Webber’s defense attorney, Andrew Jezic, maintains that Webber acted in self-defense to protect his life from an immediate lethal threat.
Two witnesses who were in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting reported the incident to the authorities. They claimed that Webber asked for their help in disposing of the body, but they refused and left the scene to seek help from the La Plata Police Department. Webber’s vehicle was later located at a gas station in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was found seeking medical treatment and taken into custody.
Webber is a well-known professional cornhole player who was crowned the best in Maryland in 2020 and competed in the American Cornhole League World Championships. Despite being a quadruple amputee due to a bacterial infection that led to sepsis when he was 10 months old, Webber has excelled in the sport and considers cornhole his “calling.”
A preliminary hearing for Webber has been scheduled for May 6 to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The case has garnered significant media attention, given Webber’s status as a prominent athlete and the unique circumstances of the incident.
