Mississippi community demands truth about death of Black teen killed on boating trip

Mississippi community demands truth about death of Black teen killed on boating trip JAKE OFFENHARTZ AND STEPHEN SMITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED YESTERDAY Open this photo in gallery: Elmore Wonsley, center, speaks next to attorney Ben Crump, left, and Rev. Al Sharpton during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells in Ocean Springs, Miss. on Monday. GERALD HERBERT/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Family members and supporters of Nolan Xavier Wells filled a Mississippi church Monday to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old, as the Rev. Al Sharpton pleaded for new evidence addressing the “many unanswered questions” around the teenager’s July 4 disappearance. The funeral opened with tearful remarks from Wells’ parents, who described their son as a warm and gentle presence, a role model to his younger siblings and a gifted athlete with NFL ambitions. “He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued,” said his mother, Christine Wonsley. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong.” In a fiery eulogy, Sharpton then promised a US$100,000 reward for any new information about the circumstances around Wells’ death, which came following a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, off the Gulf Coast. The Rev. Al Sharpton officiated the funeral for Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old, whose death following a July 4 boat trip with friends has captured national attention and prompted calls for an independent investigation. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Half of the sum will be covered by the actor and producer Tyler Perry, who also paid for the funeral, Sharpton noted. “Somebody knows something,” Sharpton continued, drawing applause from the crowd that included the director Spike Lee, former NFL player Terrell Owens and many prominent Black clergy. “Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower,” he continued. Wells, who was Black, had travelled to Horn Island – a popular Fourth of July destination – with a group of friends from high school, all of whom are white. He did not return with them to the mainland that evening, officials said. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed…