Staff and Wire Report
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Preliminary findings into the mysterious death of college football player Nolan Wells will be released July 22, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced this week.
Crump said he will release the findings of an independent autopsy at the 117th NAACP National Convention in Chicago at 8 a.m. CST. Crump also is leading his own inquiry into Wells’ death, repeatedly calling for a “full, transparent, and urgent investigation.”
At Wells’ funeral July 20, hundreds of family, friends and community activists gathered to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old athlete whose inexplicable death after a July 4 boat trip with friends has gripped the nation and galvanized Black activists, sparking discussions of racial tension and distrust of law enforcement in the Deep South.
Wells mother, Christine Wonsley, remembered her son as a gentle presence, a gifted athlete and a role model to his younger siblings.
“Nolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him,” Wonsley said. “We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes. His gentle smile, the way he made everyone around him feel comfortable, loved and at ease.
“We will continue to fight for you,” she said through tears.
Wells, who was Black, was found in the water just off Horn Island on the morning of July 6. He had been reported missing the night of July 4 after he did not return from a boating trip with three white friends.
In a spirited eulogy, civil rights leader Al Sharpton promised a $50,000 reward for any new information about the circumstances around Wells’ death.
“There’s too many unanswered questions,” Sharpton said. “We can’t have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation.”
He then invoked the history of racist violence in Mississippi, including the lynching of Emmett Till and assassination of Medgar Evers during the civil rights movement.
“The reason why a lot of people in the nation are looking at this Nolan situation is that we’ve looked at history in Mississippi. Some of us remember what happened in Mississippi,” Sharpton said. “Before we can medicate and heal today, we’ve got to look at your history.”
Crump echoed those sentiments, adding: “Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything, everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role. That is the lived experience as Black people in America.”
Wells’ official cause of death has not been released. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has said the investigation is ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the district attorney will present the case to a grand jury — reportedly standard procedure for most unnatural or suspicious deaths in Jackson County.
