Nolan Wells’ grandfather speaks out during inquiry, ‘I’ve seen and dealt with racism…’

During the investigation into the death nolan wellsThe grandfather of a Mississippi teenager has spoken out saying some “entities” are using the tragedy to “promote racism.” An Ocean Springs, Mississippi, teen was found dead in the water on the northwest tip of Horn Island on Monday morning, July 6. Wells disappeared on July 4 after sailing to the island with friends. this The search for the teen has been called off Passed by a body found Monday, July 6, park rangers.

“I chose to publish this article, and neither Kristen or Elmore had anything to do with Nolan’s death, which is a tragedy for our family, but things blew up on social media and we had entities using the death of a young man, my grandson, to promote racism. I was born and raised in Mississippi and yes, there is racism here, as there is across the United States, I have seen and dealt with racism in school, I was in the military, working for a government contractor. I am out of the military,” Wells Sr. wrote on Facebook.

ALSO READ | Nolan Wells’ parents ‘desperately’ urge public to help find answers, ‘We need to know what happened…’

“I now live in Mississippi and this is my home but there are some counties in this state where I won’t be caught after dark. I say this to say my mother’s father is white and if you are white you can travel all over our great country unimpeded, if you are a person of color you have a problem, it is said that God sits high and low, I pray that he does not wait too long to punish the wicked, I wait to see the impact of me posting this God bless everyone who is colorblind,” he added.

Friends of Wells have stressed the teen’s death had nothing to do with race, but the debate continues on social media. Several photos showed the college football player being the only black person in a group of people he was with before his death, sparking social media speculation about his death. While comments on the case have not been divided directly along racial lines, many have begun speaking out about Mississippi’s long history of racial injustice and the deaths of black people caused by lynchings.

Two of Wells’ black friends, Jayvon Williams and Treydin Shepherd, told the media that people need to stop blaming his death on race. One friend even accused the lawyer of Ben CrumpSomeone hired by the Wells family to prey on the Wells parents during their difficult time.

However, the District Attorney’s Office explained that convening a grand jury does not indicate that any crime was committed. This is standard procedure for most unnatural or suspicious deaths in the county.

ALSO READ | Was race a factor in Nolan Wells’ death? Friends say they’ve received death threats, Ben Crump says: ‘None of this is tenable’

Two investigations are ongoing. On Monday, July 13, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News that his department was still working. Meanwhile, Crump will conduct a private investigation, including a second autopsy.

Neither team announced autopsy results or an official cause of death.