Crump, Sharpton Demand Answers in Nolan Wells Case

It’s a deadly mystery that has captivated the nation: a Black football player who vanished during an Independence Day boating trip in Mississippi with three white friends was found dead near their destination some 48 hours later. 

Now, conflicting accounts of Nolan Xavier Wells’ final hours, including an alleged altercation, and growing distrust of law enforcement have drawn two of the nation’s most influential civil rights warriors — attorney Benjamin Crump, known as “Black America’s Attorney General,” and Rev. Al Sharpton — into the case. 

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At a press conference in New York yesterday with Wells’ parents, Sharpton and Crump demanded Mississippi officials deliver answers about Wells’ death. Given the racial dynamics of the case, they warned, investigators must leave no stone unturned.

‘We Want Justice’

“Oftentimes when our [Black] children are killed in highly questionable situations, there is this notion that there is nothing wrong, no foul play, let’s just sweep it under the rug,” Crump said. “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 kind of investigation would be being conducted by the Mississippi law officials?”

Sharpton said the investigation should follow every lead before reaching unjust conclusions — or rushing to exonerate Wells’ friends — in a high-profile, highly unusual homicide case.

“This does not smell right,” Sharpton said. “We want justice.”

Meanwhile, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and filmmaker Tyler Perry both have pledged to help fund the investigation, including an independent autopsy, and have offered financial assistance to help Wells’ parents bury their son.  

Mississippi’s Ugly History

Wells disappeared six days ago while on a holiday boating trip to Horn Island, a popular but remote destination off the Mississippi coast.

Officials have said the 18-year-old, who played for Southwest Mississippi Community College, traveled to the island by boat with his friends from a private dock in Ocean Springs. While investigators have confirmed Wells was photographed aboard the boat, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has said they haven’t found evidence to suggest Wells’ had been the victim of a crime. But they added that they are awaiting toxicology results from the coroner’s office.

The case exploded into the headlines and rocketed around social media during the last week, with race an inescapable part of the conversation. Some online commentators noted that the white teens who were with Wells have given conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding his death; others pointed to Mississippi’s long, violent, racist history and law enforcement’s strained relationship with the Black community. 

Calls for Caution

What’s not in dispute is that Wells was on Horn Island with a group of friends not long before he died.. According to investigators, and a Facebook post made by the mother of one of Wells’ friends, the group experienced mechanical problems with its boat at some point during the day-long excursion. 

Wells’ friends said he decided to stay behind on the island with another group of friends while they headed back to the Ocean Springs marina. But when Wells remained unaccounted for several hours later — after the first group of friends made it back to the marina with Wells’ cellphone — officials searched the area, looking for him.

A National Park Service ranger found Wells’ body on July 6.

Investigators have asked the public to submit photos, videos, and eyewitness accounts from the island. They have specifically requested footage or information related to an alleged altercation Wells had on the island before his disappearance. While there has been widespread speculation about Wells’ death, investigators have called for caution until the investigation has concluded.

Conflicting Accounts

During Friday’s news conference, Crump described Wells as a promising football player, college student, and devoted brother. He said the teenager’s family hired Crump’s legal team to check local law enforcement and guard against a cover-up. 

“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,” Crump said.

Crump also pointed to conflicting accounts about Wells’ final movements, saying investigators must reconcile those differences.

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“A young woman [Wells] was talking to says that [Wells] was going back to get on the boat” with his friends, Crump said. But Wells’ friends, Crump says, insist that Wells “was going to stay and talk to the young woman.”

“One of them is telling the truth,” he said. “One of them is not. We have to get to the bottom of it.”

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