A deadly shooting in La Plata on Sunday night, March 22, 2026, has left the community shaken and resulted in the arrest of a local man facing multiple murder charges. Authorities say the incident involved a fatal argument inside a vehicle, highlighting a tragic loss of life.
According to the La Plata Police Department, officers were flagged down around 10:25 p.m. near the intersection of La Plata Road and Radio Station Road by two individuals reporting a shooting inside a car. Preliminary investigation revealed that the witnesses had been seated in the back seat when the driver, identified as 27-year-old Dayton James Webber of La Plata, allegedly shot 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells of Waldorf, who was in the front seat.
Authorities said Webber later pulled over near Radio Station Road and Llano Drive and asked the witnesses to help remove Wells from the vehicle. The witnesses refused, exited the car, and fled on foot. Webber then drove away with Wells still inside the vehicle, prompting an immediate multi-agency response.
Emergency responders were dispatched at approximately 10:40 p.m. after a 911 call confirmed that a man had been shot in the head inside a vehicle. Investigators later determined that the caller, the suspect, and the victim had all been inside the car at the time of the shooting. Officials described Webber as a white male who is quadriplegic, noting that the caller was able to escape and provide crucial information to law enforcement.
Authorities coordinated across Charles County, Maryland, and neighboring counties in Virginia, including King George and Spotsylvania, tracking Webber’s movements using cell phone data and his white 2022 Tesla, which had a broken passenger window. Nearly two hours after the shooting, a resident in the 10000 block of Newport Church Road in Charlotte Hall discovered Wells’ body in their yard. Wells was pronounced dead at the scene, roughly 9.9 miles from where the shooting initially occurred.
Webber was later located at a hospital in Charlottesville seeking medical treatment and was taken into custody upon release by the Albemarle County Police Department. He now faces charges including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and related offenses in Charles County. Officials confirmed all involved parties were known to each other, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective R. Johnson at 301-609-6453 or submit anonymous tips to Charles County Crime Solvers.
