Quadruple amputee athlete accused of shooting man dead in Maryland then dumping his body in the yard of a home
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USA professional cornhole player and quadruple amputee has been accused of murdering a man and dumping his body in a front yard in rural Maryland.Dayton James Webber, 27, is a prominent American Cornhole League player and disability rights advocate who had frequently written and been interviewed about his rocky journey to sporting excellence.Having lost parts of all four limbs to a severe streptococcus infection at 10 months old, he was known for not using prosthetic limbs on the court even while holding his own against non-disabled players.Police in Charles County in southern Maryland — about 40 miles south of Washington, D.C. — said Webber will face a first degree murder charge after being arrested over the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells on Sunday night."On March 22 at 10:25 p.m., officers with the La Plata Police Department were flagged down by two people near the area of La Plata Road and Radio Station Road in La Plata," said the Charles County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post Monday morning.‘In many ways, surprising people has always been part of my life,’ Webber wrote in a 2023 article discussing his background (Albemarle County Police Department, Virginia)"A preliminary investigation revealed the witnesses were in the back seat of a car when the driver, Dayton James Webber, 27, of La Plata, shot and killed the front seat passenger during an argument."Webber pulled over in the area of Radio Station Road and Llano Drive and asked the passengers to help pull the victim out of the car; however, the witnesses refused, got out of the car, and left the scene. "Webber then fled with the victim still in the car. All occupants of the car are known to each other."Officers ultimately found Wells' body in a yard on Newport Church Road in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, before tracing Webber to a hospital in Virginia where he was arrested pending extradition to Charles County.When Dayton Webber contracted streptococcus pneumonia as a baby, doctors were forced to amputate his hands, forearms, and most of his legs in order to stop the infection from spreading, giving him only a 3 percent chance of survival.Webber not only survived but became an accomplished athlete, taking pride in his ability to do almost anything a non-disabled person could do without the use of hands or feet."In many ways, surprising people has always been part of my life," Webber wrote in a 2023 article. "People often underestimate me when they see me — no matter the context."In 2021 he was accepted as a pro player in the American Cornhole League, becoming the first quadruple amputee in the body's history. Webber said he uses a hoverboard to navigate the cornhole court, and that he doesn't like to wear prosthetic limbs because they don't offer enough sensitivity and control. Even outside of professional play, he said he only sometimes uses a wheelchair — employing an all-terrain model with tank-like treads for outdoor expeditions such as fishing and hunting.Webber had a YouTube channel, on which he posted videos of himself loading and firing a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and firing a historic muzzle-loading long gun, using the narrowest part of his arm stump to pull the trigger."Teaching myself how to do various tasks — such as writing, picking things off the floor and even driving — helps me with cornhole, too," Webber wrote back in 2023. "I’ve had to adapt my style to fit what works with my body," he wrote.“[Disabled people] will definitely surprise you. If we say we can do it, we can do it.”Asked by The Independent if Webber was suspected of using a prosthetic limb during the alleged murder, a sheriff's office spokesperson declined to comment.But she said: "If you have any question about his abilities or capabilities, Google search him, and you will see many videos of him showing his abilities."The sheriff's office asked anyone with information about Sunday's killing to call Detective R. Johnson at 301-609-6453, or submit a tip anonymously at 1-866-411-TIPS.
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