The family of Nolan Wells, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and activist Rev. Al Sharpton held a press conference in New York Friday, July 10, demanding a “thorough” investigation into the death of the 18-year-old football player who had last been seen on Horn Island, off of the coast of Mississippi.
“It is clear that this situation must have the most thorough and objective investigation to lead to justice,” Sharpton said Friday. “What we’ve been told does not make sense, and being that there is lack of confidence in the local authorities, who have already, in my judgment, seemed to mishandled where it was going … When we hear that this young man was engaged in some kind of argument that was on tape. That his cell phone and keys ended up with one of the people that were there on the island and got away. He was one Black [man] with three young white men who happened to end up with his phone, happened to end up with his keys. There’s just too many questions that they should not be closing the investigation.”
Crump added, “Why do you say we need to be retained to lead an independent investigation? It is because the family has distrust of the Mississippi law enforcement officials, giving them a fair investigation, where their Black son ended up dead after going out on a boat with three young white men. The history of Mississippi is something that they don’t just read about in books, but it’s a lived experience for many Black Americans.”
The initial investigation into Wells’ death suggested that he died in an accidental drowning. “When you start talking about drowning, I mean this is a kid who knew how to swim. This is a kid who was in tip-top shape, he was a superior athlete,” Crump said. “These glaring contradictions, but to try to say, ‘Oh, we’re suggesting it was just an accidental drowning, go ahead and move on.’ Well, [the family] are not accepting it. They want to know that you have not taken the path of least resistance. That you have done a full, complete, thorough, impartial investigation, because it cannot be lost on anybody, but especially us in the Black community.”
Crump continued, “If the roles were reversed, and you had three young Black men on a boat with a young white man, and that young white man ended up dead: What county investigation would be being conducted by the Mississippi law enforcement officials? How many times will those three young Black men be interrogated? So all we’re asking is the same consideration you would have given if the roles were reversed.”
Both Sharpton and Crump alluded to an argument that allegedly took place between Wells and one of the teens which was reportedly captured on cell phone video, and both questioned why one of the white teens had Wells’ phone and keys in their possession; furthermore, the teen did not reveal they had Wells’ phone, his parents used a Find My-like app to locate it. “What teenager would leave their phone behind if they’re going to stay on this island?,” Crump asked. “What teenager wouldn’t take their phone? And so it’s not adding up. It’s not adding up at all.”
Wells’ story first became national news over the July 4 weekend, when he never returned home from a visit to Horn Island, a remote strip of land about eight miles off the coast of Mississippi. He had gone to the island, a popular summertime destination accessible only by private boat, with some friends to celebrate the holiday. The boat they took out, however, began to malfunction, so they decided to leave the island on another boat. According to the sheriff’s department, Wells said he wanted to stay on the island and would catch another boat later in the afternoon. He was last seen around 3 p.m. on Saturday wearing blue swim trunks and sunglasses.
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When he didn’t come home by about midnight on Saturday, his mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, called the police. A search began the following morning, and numerous agencies and volunteer organisations — including the National Parks Service, the Coast Guard, and the United Cajun Navy — began an exhaustive search. However, it wasn’t until Monday morning, July 6, around 8:45 a.m. ET that his body was found.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has said that the investigation into what happened is still ongoing. However, in the wake of Wells’ death — after numerous conspiracy theories began circulating on social media — his family hired civil rights attorney Crump, who is also conducting his own investigation into the teen’s death, including an independent autopsy.
Crump said on Good Morning America Friday morning that civil rights activist and former football player Colin Kaepernick helped fund the independent autopsy; the results of that autopsy, which was conducted by a coroner in Washington, D.C., were not available when the press conference occurred. Crump added during the press conference that actor-director Tyler Perry is helping pay for Wells’ funeral.
“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate, and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home,” Crump said in a statement shortly after taking the case. “His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
On Friday morning, Wells’ parents gave their first interview to Good Morning America. “Nolan was this bright light,” his mother said. “We just want answers.”
From Rolling Stone US
