Memorial Held for Mississippi College Football Player Found Dead After July 4 Boat Trip

Family and supporters gathered Monday in a Mississippi church to mourn 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, who was found dead after a July 4 boat trip with friends to Horn Island in the Gulf coast. The ceremony opened with remarks from his parents, who described him as a warm presence and gifted athlete.

Christine Wonsley, Wells’s mother, said he had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued.

She added that he could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong. The Rev Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy and announced a $50,000 reward for information about the circumstances of the death. He said there are too many unanswered questions and that law enforcement should not declare no foul play before an investigation.

Sharpton referenced the lynching of Emmett Till and the assassination of Medgar Evers, noting the history of racist violence in Mississippi. ” Spike Lee and Terrell Owens attended the service. Tyler Perry helped pay for the funeral.

John Ledbetter, the Jackson County sheriff, said Wells’s friends are cooperating with the investigation. Initial interviews indicated that Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. His body was found off the island’s coast two days after he was last seen.

Wells played wide receiver on the football team at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued a joint statement calling for an independent and transparent investigation, stating that too many questions remain unanswered.