25-year-old Cody Irons of Washington, D.C., died late Wednesday evening while trying to paddle board across the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland.
Irons was an Army veteran and double amputee. Paddle boarding business Capital SUP Annapolis posted a message about him on Facebook Thursday following his passing. (RELATED: Non-Profit Give Veteran $15,000 To Stay In Business)
The message said:
To our Family, Friends, and fellow Paddlers,
It is with incredible shock and deep sadness that we inform you Cody Iorns passed away this evening. He went out for a downwind paddle with fellow Capital SUP paddlers and unexpectedly drowned. CPR was performed by the paddlers and emergency medical responders but we were unable to save his life. We are still processing how it happened. Please pray for Cody’s family. We are at a loss for words. He was our brother. He was an inspiration to everyone on and off the water.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources will have an official press release sometime today. We wanted you to hear the news from us first. Please respect our privacy and give us some time to mourn the loss of our brother.
We love you, Cody. May you rest in peace.
Brian, Kevin, & Chris
Irons was with three other boarders when one of them discovered he was face down in the water, according to the Capital Gazette. The group attempted to revive him with CPR, but it was too late. He was wearing a life preserver but it failed to inflate.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, Fox News reported Friday.
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