A protest was held on Saturday, July 11, after the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, with demonstrators demanding more transparency in the case. Wells was reportedly found dead in the water on the northwest end of Horn Island on Monday morning, July 6. Wells went missing on July 4 after taking a boat to the island with friends. The search for the teen was called off after a body was found by a park ranger on Monday, July 6.
On Saturday, more than 100 protesters gathered to demand answers, according to NBC News. Speculation about the circumstances of his death continues to grow. Several advocacy groups have now called for a full and transparent investigation.
Videos of the protests have surfaced on X. “Theres currently a peaceful protest in Ocean Springs in honor of Nolan Wells. I’m here live:,” one video is captioned.
“Protest for Nolan Wells through the streets of downtown Ocean Springs, Mississippi,” reads another video.
Well’s family joined attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton in New York for a press conference on Friday, July 10, and for a “full, transparent and urgent investigation” into his death.
What Ben Crump said
Crump said in a recent interview with Don Lemon that Wells’ body was being flown to Washington, D.C., for a medical examiner to study. He added that the second autopsy will find out “if he had any physical injuries to his body beyond drowning.”
Crump told Lemon that his investigation is still in very early stages and he does not yet know if they will find signs of foul play. He added that the sheriff’s office has not told the family whether they suspect criminal behavior.
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“There’s no information that we have right now that would lead us to believe that a crime has occurred,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News earlier this week.
He added that the family was worried about “inconsistencies,” including texts deleted from Wells’ phone.
According to Crump, Wells had a tryout to play Division I football on Monday. He was reportedly avoiding substances that could affect his performance. His family said he was a brilliant athlete and strong swimmer.
