NAACP and Attorney Ben Crump Announce Findings of Nolan Wells' Independent Autopsy

[22:54] Check. One, two. Microphone number two. One, two, three, and four. Microphone number two again. Check. One, two, three, four, five, and six. [24:31] Alright, microphone number two again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Alright, microphone number two again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. [25:27] Okay, microphone two. Audio check again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Alright, one more time here. One, two, three. We're good? Alright. [28:01] Alright. Okay, microphone number one. Podium microphone number one. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. We're all good? Alright. [29:16] Good morning. Good morning. If everyone can take your seat, we'll get started with the press conference in roughly two minutes. If everyone can take your seats, we'll get ready to get started in roughly two minutes. Thank you. [46:16] My name is Trevon Williams, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications with the NAACP. We are here because a demand was made. A demand for transparency, a demand for answers, and a demand for ultimate justice on behalf of Nolan Wells. [55:46] And that demand must be honored. For that, we are honored to pause even for a moment to respond accordingly here at our national convention. Momentarily, you will hear from renowned civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, who will provide updates on the findings of the independent autopsy that was conducted in the death of Nolan Wells. [56:07] Immediately following that, we will take questions from credentialed media. We will attempt to answer as many questions as we can. However, we want to be respectful of the fact that we do have additional programming that is going on to conclude our convention today as well. [56:22] So we're asking that all press and media, if you're asking questions, please be concise. Give your name, give your media credential, and we'll go from there. But before he comes, we will have the leader of the NAACP, President Derek Johnson, to give opening remarks. President Johnson. [56:38] Good morning. Far too often our young people are confronted with challenges, and many jurisdictions and states don't take those challenges serious. We cannot allow another individual, particularly a young black man's death, go uninvestigated. [57:04] We have seen this happen over the years, not only in Mississippi, but across the country. It is unfortunate that our young people only seek to enjoy life. [57:17] And as a result of participating in activities no longer have life. [57:23] For the NAACP, we take this, and many other cases, serious, because every person matters. [57:33] I want to thank the Mississippi State Conference, particularly Aletra Perryman, for working with the family and supporting the family on the onset. [57:48] Because it's difficult to lose a loved one. It's even more difficult to navigate a process when all eyes are on you, and the pressure of balancing between grieving and navigating is upon you. [58:05] And so, for the NAACP family, this is our role, is to step in, to support when the families have an issue like this, and the local officials seem not to hold people accountable. [58:20] It's unfortunate when you see news reports saying law enforcement officials are repeating what individuals are saying, as opposed to investigate the individuals who gave you the information because you don't know who was involved or not involved. [58:40] And so, narrative matters in this case. [58:42] And we're saying that in Nolan Wells' situation, the narrative should not be it was an accident before there was an investigation. [58:50] The narrative should not be the words of individuals who went on a boat to the island with him, but they came without him, but with his cell phone, and you don't investigate those individuals. [59:02] We're not accusing anyone of anything other than the state of Mississippi and local officials. [59:07] We're accusing them of being derelict in their duties. [59:10] To follow up and to ensure that, regardless of what happened, that there was the proper investigation, so that this family and that community could be assured that if anyone was involved, they would be held accountable. [59:32] And if it was truly an accident, that the families would have the necessary answers that any family deserved in this situation. [59:41] I want to bring to the podium, Attorney Benjamin Crump, a friend of mine who have stepped in to take the case and in support of the family to ensure that they get the answers that they deserve. [59:57] And that local officials and anyone involved will be held accountable to this family, to that system, because we are all parents, siblings, to loved ones who should not be confronted with this reality. [1:00:14] Attorney Crump. [1:00:15] Thank you very much, President Derrick Johnson, for your leadership, for the leadership of the Mississippi Conference of NAACP, and being there doing the homegoing services to help the family go through what no parents want to go through. [1:00:44] Thank you to Chairman Leon Russell, my longtime mentor from Florida, who helped raise so many of us. [1:00:53] Thank you for always, thank you for always being there, Chairman Russell. [1:00:56] As President Johnson said, I'm Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family of Nolan Wells. [1:01:07] But it's not just me. [1:01:09] It is a team effort of incredible, dedicated lawyers and investigators and paralegals. [1:01:17] Attorney Lisa Park, attorney who you will hear from in a few minutes, attorney Eric Hertz, attorney Gary Buchan, attorney Camila Moore, Cliff Jones, Jared Presson, Alan Williams, a whole team of people who are committed, [1:01:43] as I said, President Johnson, on this ferocious search for the truth of what really happened to Nolan Wells. [1:01:52] But before we begin to discuss the intricacies of the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy, we think it would be appropriate for you all to hear from the people who knew Nolan Wells best, [1:02:19] so they can thank you themselves and tell you about the trials and tribulations that they have been enduring since July 4th. [1:02:32] July 4th would never be the same for them. [1:02:36] I bring to the podium Nolan Wells' mother and father, Christine and Elmore. [1:02:44] Please give them a warm NAACP welcome. [1:03:03] First of all, I want to say thank you all so much. [1:03:06] Thank you to President Johnson as well as Chairman Russell. [1:03:11] This has been a difficult journey. [1:03:17] Losing a child, it truly breaks your heart. [1:03:25] It is a pain that is just, you can't measure it. [1:03:31] Especially someone like Nolan, who brought so much joy and light and life to everyone. [1:03:39] You don't find too many genuine people like him. [1:03:43] So to lose that light at such a young age under these circumstances has been absolutely difficult, which is why we've gone this route. [1:03:54] There are so many people out in the public asking all of these questions. [1:03:59] But the only question that we have is what happened to our son. [1:04:05] That is the only question. [1:04:08] We have consistently been degraded by the public. [1:04:14] There's been questions about our parenting, our GoFundMe, this, that, and other. [1:04:20] I've been called a racist. [1:04:22] I am a health care provider and I take my job very seriously. [1:04:26] I love everyone and it's just, it's been difficult for us, but we are leaning into our faith, leaning into one another, also leaning into all of you. [1:04:42] There are not enough thank yous, not enough appreciation for what you guys have done for us and we do. [1:04:49] We love you from the bottom of our hearts. [1:04:51] Thank you and so it is our hope that our local authorities will do what they need to do because us having the preliminary autopsy results and hearing nothing from them, it's heartbreaking and it's concerning, which again is why we are here, why we have asked for this help. [1:05:19] So, again, thank you all so much for your support, we appreciate you, we really do. [1:05:35] Every day I wake up, it's a new challenge. [1:05:42] Knowing that a part of me I will never talk to, I will never hold, I will never play around with or get mad at, it's not here anymore. [1:05:53] Nolan brought a lot of joy to our family, he was the most, he was the wittiest one out of everyone, the clown. [1:06:07] He loved to put in the work because he wanted to be the best. [1:06:15] He wanted to make me and his mother proud and we were so proud of him just for being the person that he was. [1:06:25] He was loving, all his teachers knew him but loved him. [1:06:29] He walks in the room, his aura, you are automatically drawn to it. [1:06:36] Never met an enemy and if they were, they would eventually be friends because they would eventually bond and it's going to be hard. [1:06:51] He should be at football practice right now. [1:06:55] Calling me out to practice, dad, I made this play or I made that play or I get a text with three or four videos of him doing this, running this route, making this block. [1:07:06] And what you think, what you think I should do and I will give my honors because I always tell them if anyone is going to be totally honest with you, it's going to be me. [1:07:16] And it's not because I'm being mean but people outside your family are going to tell you what you want to hear. [1:07:22] I'm going to tell you what you need to know to make you better. [1:07:25] It's going to be hard for our friends from here on out. [1:07:33] Like I said, every day is a challenge. [1:07:37] We're going to miss our son. [1:07:39] And like my wife said, we just want honesty. [1:07:41] We want to know what happened to our son because the things that you're telling us, that's not the character of our son. [1:07:47] We know our son. [1:07:49] I understand, you know, our children will do things that, you know, they will kind of dumbfound us sometimes. [1:07:55] But the things that we're being told, there wasn't Nolan. [1:08:01] So please keep us in your prayers. [1:08:03] Keep them in your prayers. [1:08:05] And we're going to keep pushing and fighting until we find answers. [1:08:09] Thank you guys for your love and support. [1:08:11] Thank you so much, Christine and Nolan. [1:08:24] Christine and Elmore, Nolan's mother and father. [1:08:31] Before we start to go over the preliminary findings from the independent autopsy, [1:08:41] we will hear from Attorney Lisa Park to tell you about who was the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy. [1:08:51] Attorney Lisa Park. [1:08:52] Thank you. [1:09:02] Dr. Roger Mitchell could not join us today, but we felt it important before we reveal and unfold this report [1:09:14] that you understand who conducted this autopsy. [1:09:18] Dr. Roger Mitchell is a physician and board-certified forensic pathologist with two decades of experience. [1:09:27] He currently serves as the president of the National Medical Association, which is the oldest and largest group of black physicians in the U.S. [1:09:39] Most recently, he also served as president of Howard University Hospital, chief medical officer of the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan, [1:09:56] and chair of the Department of Pathology. [1:09:59] Before joining Howard, he served as chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C. from 2014 to 2021, [1:10:10] and is later as interim deputy mayor for the public safety and justice. [1:10:16] Dr. Mitchell has conducted and managed thousands of autopsies and is nationally recognized for his work at the intersection of medicine, public health, and justice. [1:10:31] And for this case, we sought out the very best, and we are proud to be working with the very best. [1:10:40] Thank you, Attorney Park. [1:10:52] I, again, want to express our gratitude to President Johnson, Chairman Russell, and the NAACP, [1:11:00] because civil rights is more important than ever in the United States of America today. [1:11:09] And so we thank you for the civil rights leaders stepping up to say that our children's lives matter now more than ever. [1:11:20] And I want to thank all of you for getting up at 8 in the morning this. [1:11:29] I mean, if people could see how many people are gathered here, they would say you all are truly blessed to have the support of America, Christine and Elmore. [1:11:43] And I want to thank the media for covering this matter, because they don't always cover when our children are taken away from us in highly unquestionable ways. [1:12:03] And I do understand there's a lot of news going on in America today. [1:12:12] And I woke up to them saying LeBron James is going to announce where he's going to play basketball next year. [1:12:22] But I'm very happy that the media said this story is just as important as just as important. [1:12:38] And I'm sure LeBron James and Rich Paul and, you know, Stephon Carey and Draymond Green, Jalen Brown, Embiid, Maxie, Giannis, Bam, [1:13:04] and many other players in the National Basketball Association will all agree that our children's lives are far more important than where LeBron or any other player will play next year. [1:13:27] And so that's why I thank you all for being here, because this news is as important as any news in the United States of America. [1:13:42] Finding out why is Nolan Wells dead? [1:13:52] And I want to thank you all who have called the call center. [1:14:00] I want to thank Reverend Al Sharpton. [1:14:03] I want to thank Mr. Tyler Perry. [1:14:07] I want to thank Mr. Terry Owens for putting up the $125,000 reward for anybody out there who have information so we can get to the truth of what happened. [1:14:27] I mean, any videos and we've gotten so many videos, President Johnson, from that day from young people. [1:14:34] And we want them to have the courage to come forward with the pitches. [1:14:39] What you heard, I know people said there were a lot of disturbances out there. [1:14:44] Some believe it involved Nolan. [1:14:47] All of those things are important to get to the truth of what happened. [1:14:52] The fact, yeah, the fact, Christine, that the United Cajun Navy are so forthcoming. [1:15:01] The fact that they told us we haven't heard from any of their local officials that Nolan was found face down, fully clothed. [1:15:11] Well, that's significant to us because the last time we saw him on the videos, he was without a shirt. [1:15:18] So at what point did he put on a shirt? [1:15:22] Somebody saw something. [1:15:23] Somebody knows something. [1:15:25] There were almost 300, 400 people. [1:15:29] Somebody knows something. [1:15:31] So, Scott X, we're trying to just make sure people understand that you can call the Nolan Wells tip line at BenCrump.com. [1:15:50] We will gladly listen to you, take any information as we try to put together this puzzle of what happened to Nolan Wells. [1:16:01] And today, we're going to add some more parts to this puzzle because my legal team and I, we stand for truth, no matter who it implicates or who it exonerates. [1:16:24] We stand for justice, no matter who it convicts or it acquits. [1:16:31] Yeah, and we stand for transparency because we got eyes that can see and we don't need government officials having to narrate it for you and me. [1:16:49] We can see it for ourselves. [1:16:53] Transparency. [1:16:55] That leads to the truth. [1:16:58] The truth is the foundation for accountability and justice. [1:17:04] And that's all we're seeking as Christina Elmore said from day one. [1:17:08] So, with that, and Christina Elmore, if you all want to sit, we're about to go through this autopsy. [1:17:16] And I know it may be a little emotional. [1:17:23] Thank you, President. [1:17:23] You're welcome to stay right here. [1:17:38] Let's go through this. [1:17:41] As we begin to present the preliminary findings of the autopsy, we want to especially thank Mr. Colin Kaepernick for not thinking it robbery to pay for the autopsy. [1:18:15] The first term. [1:18:21] Let's go with the first one. [1:18:30] So, an autopsy will be provided for the media at press at bencrump.com. [1:19:21] And so, Mr. Jones, keep that. [1:19:24] I don't need this one. [1:19:25] I just need this one here. [1:19:31] So, pull this up. [1:19:33] So, Dr. Roger Mitchell, boy-certified forensic pathologist, performed a preliminary report on the death of Nolan Xavier Wells. [1:19:51] He conducted and presented this report on July 19th, 2026. [1:20:01] Preliminary report, second autopsy, death of Nolan Xavier Wells. [1:20:07] Cause of death, undetermined, pending investigation. [1:20:12] And we'll explain that as we go through the report this morning. [1:20:19] The manner of death, undetermined, pending investigation. [1:20:26] Statement of examination. [1:20:28] This forensic pathologist was retained to perform a second autopsy examination on the body of Nolan Xavier Wells. [1:20:38] Name of decedent, Nolan Xavier Wells. [1:20:41] Age, 18 years old. [1:20:43] Race, black. [1:20:45] Gender, male. [1:20:46] Date of death, unknown. [1:20:48] Second autopsy date was performed on July 10th, 2026. [1:21:01] Preliminary findings. [1:21:05] And this is significant. [1:21:09] Focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of the head, the occipital region. [1:21:20] He said the etiology is unknown at this time. [1:21:26] He said the body was received after the initial autopsy. [1:21:30] He said the body had marked decompensation. [1:21:39] He said corona incision of the scalp, brain removal, Y-shape incision of the anterior torso. [1:21:51] And he talked about the organs being removed, as is common, as is common, accompanied in the body, in the body cavity. [1:22:02] And that, when you have an autopsy, the organs are removed from the body, and they are dissected and examined. [1:22:09] And then they are put back in a bag with inside the body. [1:22:14] So when they are buried, their remains will all be with them. [1:22:18] But in this occasion, if there's going to be a second autopsy, then the organs are put in the body cavity. [1:22:28] So the second pathologist could be able to examine the organs as well. [1:22:36] Very significant for Dr. Mitchell was that the anterior inner neck structures were absent, not received with the body. [1:22:54] And we'll explain that in just a minute. [1:23:00] And then it talks about the additional procedures performed during the second autopsy. [1:23:10] And we'll go into the paragraphs on that there, because he explains it better in his narrative. [1:23:17] So where is the first page of the discussion? [1:23:24] Not the diagram yet. [1:23:25] You can keep the diagram over there. [1:23:26] So he talks in the preliminary discussion, opinion. [1:23:46] This forensic pathologist identifies several limitations during the second autopsy that create barriers to establishing a definitive cause and manner of death for Nolan Xavier Wells. [1:24:04] And that's important. [1:24:05] He talks about the fact that we didn't get to see the body when it was first recovered, like the medical examiner working for Mississippi would have seen it. [1:24:18] He talks about the second autopsy performed on Nolan Wells reveal marked decompensation or changes marked decompensation can obscure the presence and absence of bruising on the skin surface, especially during a second autopsy examination. [1:24:40] What he's saying, what he's saying, what he's saying because the body was so decomposed that you couldn't tell if there was bruises or abrasions on the body when he received it on the 10th of July. [1:24:54] For these reasons, additional dissection procedures not performed during the first autopsy examination were performed to rule out potential blunt force injuries responsible for the death. [1:25:16] These procedures included facial dissection, posterior head and neck dissection, dissection of the ribs, the pelvic dissection of the subcutaneous and deep soft tissue, dissection of the back, the buttocks, the arms and legs. [1:25:40] He did all of this to rule out there were no fractures or deep tissue injuries identified. [1:25:49] This was very important because he wanted to be very thorough and very transparent because transparency is the key to getting to the answers of why Nolan Wells is not with us. [1:26:05] So he did that there and was very straightforward. [1:26:16] Very open, very open, very open. [1:26:19] He says, however, dissection of the back of the head during the layered posterior neck dissection revealed a 12 by 8 inch focal area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissues overlaying the occipital bone. [1:26:46] And he talked about how he found red discoloration when he cut open into the back of his head towards the occipital bone and he saw the red discoloration and we actually saw the pictures of it. [1:27:14] It's significant. [1:27:14] You can't help but notice, why is this dark red here in the back of his head? [1:27:23] And so he was important to note that in his report. [1:27:28] He said that ideology of this finding is unclear. [1:27:39] There are no lacerations of the overlaying skin nor fractures of the underlying skull. [1:27:49] These findings are inconclusive for perimortem injury due to the body, due to both the extensive decomposition and the absence of associated injuries. [1:28:07] This finding, however, is significant enough to be highlighted in this preliminary report for further investigation. [1:28:19] It is important to reiterate that the finding could not have been observed in the first autopsy because the posterior head and neck dissection were not performed. [1:28:42] He said another limitation. [1:28:43] Move it back here. [1:28:44] Another limitation faced by this forensic pathologist was the absence of the anterior internal neck structures, the trachea and the laryngal cartilage, the thyroid horn and the hyoid bone were not received with the body. [1:29:07] So he said that the throat was not received with the body when he got Nolan Wells' body in Washington, D.C. to perform the second autopsy. [1:29:28] And so let's discuss that with what he said about that. [1:29:36] He said it is assumed that the initial pathologist retained these structures for additional evaluation. [1:29:43] He said the retention of the anterior neck structures during an initial autopsy is a common forensic pathology practice. [1:29:55] He was chief medical examiner for seven years in Washington, D.C. [1:29:59] And he said that if they had concern about throat or any fracture or compression of the throat, they too would hold them back. [1:30:09] He doesn't know why they held the throat back, but he said the throat was not with the body of Nolan Wells when he received it in Washington, D.C. [1:30:20] to perform the second autopsy. [1:30:21] He said, nevertheless, a posterior neck dissection performed without review of the anterior neck structures is incomplete. [1:30:38] Therefore, this pathologist cannot rule out injury to the neck as a contributor or a cause of death. [1:30:47] He said he would need to have the medical examiner in Mississippi allow him to review the throat. [1:30:58] That's why he said his autopsy is undetermined pending investigation. [1:31:04] Remember, it's about transparency. [1:31:11] Because the initial autopsy rightfully removed and dissected each organ, [1:31:15] there are additional limitations inherent in the second autopsy of Nolan Wells. [1:31:21] The most significant of the limitations was the inability to directly observe the airway in the lungs for water [1:31:33] and directly observe the stomach for gastric contents. [1:31:38] He said it is very significant as to what the initial forensic scientists who got to review the body when it was recovered. [1:31:57] We have heard from our call center people saying the body wasn't waterlogged. [1:32:05] Well, we need to know those things. [1:32:07] But unfortunately, because the body was decomposed and the organs have already been dissected, [1:32:14] those are things we can only get from the initial autopsy. [1:32:20] So therefore, again, the manner and cause of death is undetermined until further investigation. [1:32:28] We are hopeful that the Mississippi Medical Examiner would give Dr. Mitchell an opportunity to see their photographs [1:32:41] and their observations to the condition of Nolan Wells' body closer in time to July 4th. [1:32:51] That is very important. [1:32:53] And we have to continue to demand transparency, President Johnson. [1:33:03] In addition, the original toxicology results have not been received at the time of this report. [1:33:12] And we continue to wait for the toxicology to come back because, again, that would be part of the investigation into Nolan Wells' autopsy by Dr. Mitchell. [1:33:29] It is significant to note that it's many things that go into toxicology that only Dr. Mitchell would be able to opine upon. [1:33:41] And he feels the proper place to do that is before a grand jury in a courtroom. [1:33:53] And so we would hope that the district attorney would present Dr. Mitchell before the grand jury as well. [1:34:04] We want all relevant information to be heard by the grand jury. [1:34:12] Lastly, in cases where a death has occurred in or around a body of water with suspicion of drowning, [1:34:48] it is important to confirm how that person entered the water. [1:34:57] This is the crux of the matter. [1:34:58] This information is especially important for those deaths of persons who can swim. [1:35:11] As in the case with Nolan Wells, at the time of this report, [1:35:18] this forensic pathologist does not know the condition of Nolan Wells. [1:35:25] He did not know whether he was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water. [1:35:32] He said that would be significant. [1:35:37] He said he did not know whether he was forced into the water or unforced into the water. [1:35:46] He said that would be significant. [1:35:49] So he said the condition of Nolan Wells before he entered the water would be the crux of the matter. [1:35:57] He said it would be of utmost importance to being able to determine a cause and manner of death. [1:36:05] He said definitive circumstances of death are required to determine the manner of death. [1:36:18] For these reasons, this pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells. [1:36:48] Understand, he said, based on the examination of the body, he cannot rule out foul play. [1:36:59] That is significant. [1:37:03] With the following questions still outstanding. [1:37:08] Number one, what were the circumstances that led to Nolan and Xavier Wells entering the water? [1:37:17] Number two, what was the body position when it was found? [1:37:21] We know that a member of the United Cajun Navy said that he was face down and he was fully clothed. [1:37:34] Number three, where is there water in the airway? [1:37:40] Remember he talked about the lungs and the airways where they filled with water. [1:37:48] Number four, is there any evidence of injuries to the anterior neck structure? [1:37:54] We got the autopsy without his neck. [1:37:59] We got the body without his neck at the time of the second autopsy. [1:38:05] Number five, is there any evidence of any inner cranial hemorrhaging? [1:38:13] He said that is going to be very significant. [1:38:15] Things that he could not observe at autopsy that the initial medical examiner would have been able to observe. [1:38:23] Number six, what was the composition of the stomach contents? [1:38:33] He talks about that being important because when was he found? [1:38:41] How long had he been in the water? [1:38:43] How long had it been since his last meal? [1:38:45] All those things become relevant factors when you're trying to do a thorough and impartial autopsy. [1:38:55] And number seven, what are the toxicology report findings? [1:39:04] He said the best classification again for the cause and manner of death for Nolan Xavier Wells is undetermined pending investigation. [1:39:14] This forensic pathologist reserves the right to review and incorporate additional forensic pathology information into his opinion as it becomes available. [1:39:29] He says the above opinions are expressed to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. [1:39:38] Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, July 19, 2026. [1:39:45] And we know that, as I said, this is only another part of the puzzle. [1:39:53] And even though it tells us significant information, we still have more questions than we have answers at this time. [1:40:04] And we will continue to press forward and persist, Christine and Elmore, with getting the answers to these questions. [1:40:13] Because as you, yes, we will persist, persist, persist. [1:40:23] Because as Christine and Elmore and Attorney Park and I talked this morning, [1:40:31] We know that there are so many conflicting stories. [1:40:41] The fact that she said him being found face down. [1:40:48] The fact that we have other videos where people who have called said that is Nolan who is in some kind of dispute with others. [1:41:01] We're looking at all of these things, the fact that the GPS tracking of the boat is being questioned by many. [1:41:13] We're trying to dot every I and cross every T because we understand that when our children's lives are at stake, it matters. [1:41:29] Not just what happened, but what we do in the aftermath of them being taken away from us. [1:41:36] And just like the NAACP stood up when another tragedy in Mississippi, taking the life of young Emmett Till, we will stand up for Nolan Wells. [1:41:50] Just like the NAACP and civil rights leaders stood up when another Mississippi son was taken in Megan Evers, we will stand up for Nolan Wells. [1:42:12] And just like too many of our young people, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Terrence Crutcher, Stefan Clark, Sandra Bland, Atiana Jefferson, Sterling, Alton Sterling, Eric Gardner, George Floyd, Tamir Rice. [1:42:48] Just the young people who I was trying to focus on Gary, we stand up until we get the truth, until we get justice for Nolan Wells, justice for Nolan Wells, justice for Nolan Wells, justice for Nolan Wells. [1:43:11] We were asked if Christine and Elmore and President Johnson can come back and join us on the stage. [1:43:39] And Trayvon, we will have you coordinate questions and answers for us or President Johnson or Attorney Park and I. [1:43:48] I will say this as President Johnson comes to the stage, I was sharing this with him and Chairman Russell, Christine Clark. [1:43:58] God knows we wish we had you at the Department of Justice now. [1:44:01] Christine Clark, as I was sharing with President Johnson and Reverend Al and others, this is so important that we continue to talk about Nolan Wells [1:44:18] and what happened to him and what happened to him and that we get attention on him because in getting attention on him, it brings attention, Cliff Jones, to other cases that are not getting their attention as of yet. [1:44:33] But I'm so grateful to Christine and Elmore because they said whatever we can do, not only to help our son, but to help these other young black boys who was killed [1:44:45] And I want to take a moment before we answer your questions to talk about two other young black men, both 18 years old, who were killed in extraordinary ways that are very similar to Nolan. [1:45:11] President Johnson, President Johnson, President Johnson, President Johnson, 18-year-old Daniel Irvings went on a fishing trip, out on a fishing boat with two other young men. [1:45:27] He was the only black. [1:45:28] It is alleged that he ended up accidentally drowning, but his two white friends got his cell phone and threw it away, got his clothes and threw it away, [1:45:49] and then went and deleted all of their text messages with him and social media. [1:45:57] Sounds familiar? [1:45:58] And they've only been charged with tampering with evidence and his mother is crying out that they should be charged with murder because if they will lie about his cell phone and his clothes and deleted messages, [1:46:18] then they will lie about what really happened to Daniel Irvings. [1:46:23] And then there's the matter of President Johnson, Christine Clark, of 18-year-old Sterling Smith, I'm sorry, Tyler Smith. [1:46:40] Tyler Smith, on 4th of July, was at a house party with about 10 other people. [1:46:53] He was the only black person at the house. [1:46:59] He somehow ends up shot in the head, dead. [1:47:05] Some of the friends get rid of the gun. [1:47:14] The police show up. [1:47:16] They tell the police it was an accident. [1:47:22] It was an accidental shooting that they were playing Russian roulette and Tyler Smith end up getting killed. [1:47:35] Apparently, Christine Clark, President Johnson, the police just took their word for it. [1:47:41] His mother and grandmother are incensed. [1:47:47] They asked the police, did you do a gunshot residue test on his hands? [1:47:55] And the reason they said they had to call us, like Daniel Irvings and Nolan Wells' family, [1:48:08] because the police told them, President Johnson, that there was no need to do gunshot residue on his hands [1:48:18] or any of the other people in the house, because I don't understand this logic. [1:48:24] But they said if they were playing Russian roulette, then all of them would have gunshot residue on their hands. [1:48:35] So we don't need to do gunshot residue tests. [1:48:39] It makes no sense whatsoever. [1:48:42] So they are taking the word of these 10 people that your son just killed himself. [1:48:52] And you don't have to worry about doing any investigation or testing for physically anything. [1:49:00] Just take our word for it. [1:49:01] Now, can you imagine in any three of these scenarios, had the survivors been young black men [1:49:12] and they were with a young white man and he ended up dead, what kind of investigation would that have been? [1:49:22] What kind of interrogation would that have been? [1:49:25] Would they have ever been able to see the light of day until those questions were answered? [1:49:33] Well, just like you would do a thorough investigation for your children, [1:49:39] we want you to do a thorough investigation for our children. [1:49:44] We don't want anything special. [1:49:52] We just want equal justice. [1:49:55] Equal justice. [1:49:58] And so with that, I'll turn it over to Trevon to lead us in the final session. [1:50:03] We'll have a few questions. [1:50:05] We have my colleagues on either side with microphones. [1:50:07] Please announce your name and your media outlet if you have any questions. [1:50:11] We're going to be quick because we have other programming going on in real time. [1:50:14] We'll go here first. [1:50:18] Thank you. [1:50:19] Hi, everybody. [1:50:20] Samantha Chapman, ABC7 Chicago. [1:50:22] You just unveiled a comprehensive outline of the independent report. [1:50:28] Can you summarize for our viewers? [1:50:30] Because there's a lot to take in, a lot of information. [1:50:33] So in summary, can you succinctly tell us what we can take away from this report? [1:50:39] And also, if you can provide more details about the neck. [1:50:43] I heard a lot of people behind me gasping when that detail was mentioned. [1:50:46] Yep. [1:50:47] Let me try to be very comprehensive. [1:50:50] As Dr. Roger Mitchell said, that the focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue [1:51:01] of the back of the head, the occipital region, is significant because he cannot determine why [1:51:14] you have that red discoloration in the back of his brain. [1:51:19] That's significant. [1:51:21] He also talked about, Mr. Williams, if you can, just the fact that as it's common practice, [1:51:31] he was missing his throat when they received the body. [1:51:35] And he wants to know why they held it back. [1:51:40] He's not drawing any conclusions, but he said he would want to examine it if there were neck fractures [1:51:49] or compressions to the neck. [1:51:52] And he thinks that's significant to know at autopsy. [1:51:57] The reason he said he would hold it back when he was medical examiner [1:52:01] because he thought that there may have been some issues with neck fractures. [1:52:07] The last thing that is significant is what we said before about him, the condition of his body [1:52:16] when he went into the water. [1:52:19] Was he conscious or unconscious? [1:52:22] Was he forced or unforced into the water? [1:52:26] He said those things are very significant. [1:52:28] But he started off talking about this red discoloration in the back of his head [1:52:34] is something that was of great concern to him. [1:52:38] Thank you. [1:52:39] We'll go here. [1:52:47] Daryl Denard with Chicago Speaks on V103. [1:52:51] What specifically are you calling for from Mississippi authorities [1:52:56] in terms of transparency, but more importantly, investigations? [1:53:03] We, and I know President Johnson is from the state of Mississippi [1:53:12] and the Mississippi Conference president is here. [1:53:17] They're calling, as we are, for a fair, impartial, comprehensive investigation. [1:53:28] When Nolan's parents heard the sheriff say there is no foul play [1:53:36] at the beginning of the investigation, that is cause for concern, major concern. [1:53:44] You haven't even investigated, but you're saying no foul play. [1:53:48] And so we want them to dot every I and cross every T. [1:53:52] You know, we had a meeting with the district attorney [1:53:56] and we expressed to them about our lived experiences, our lived experiences. [1:54:02] The fact, and you know, they said that's not what happens in her office. [1:54:08] But we said, we believe if the roads were reversed [1:54:12] and there were three young black 18-year-olds [1:54:18] and there was a white 18-year-old who was with them and he ended up dead, [1:54:25] we don't believe that those young black men would not have been interrogated [1:54:35] to the full extent of the law. [1:54:38] We believe that it would not have been a choice [1:54:41] whether they were going to cooperate with law enforcement [1:54:44] if their lawyers and them were going to cooperate. [1:54:47] No, no. [1:54:48] They would have been held until they gave answers. [1:54:52] They would have been held until they explained the cell phone in their possession. [1:54:58] They would have been held until their cell phones have been examined. [1:55:03] And so whatever you would do had the roads been reversed, [1:55:08] we want you to do the same thing for Nolan Wells. [1:55:11] We have time for one more question [1:55:18] and then we're going to have a prayer with our Religious Affairs Committee with the family. [1:55:21] One more question here. [1:55:23] My sister. [1:55:25] I'm Tiffany Walden with the tribe in Chicago. [1:55:27] I know that we're talking about a transparent investigation, [1:55:31] but for families and people who are watching, [1:55:33] can you kind of give a breakdown or a timeline to the best of your ability [1:55:36] of the contact that you've had with Mississippi authorities [1:55:40] or Ocean Springs authorities or the Cajun Navy? [1:55:43] Have you all talked to them? [1:55:44] Do they call you after the initial autopsy? [1:55:47] Is it just radio silence from them? [1:55:49] Do you have to call them? [1:55:50] Can you kind of walk us through that process? [1:55:52] So the last time we actually spoke with local authorities, [1:55:58] which would be the sheriff's department, [1:56:01] was I think a day or two after his body was found. [1:56:04] That was only initiated by me. [1:56:07] I sent him a text message. [1:56:09] I was like, hey, this is Christine, Nolan's mom. [1:56:12] I just want to see if there are any updates. [1:56:14] Basically, he called back. [1:56:16] There were no updates. [1:56:17] He was like, we're still interviewing. [1:56:20] And again, my concern and also my husband's concern was it was not even an hour [1:56:29] that his body had been removed. [1:56:32] And the sheriff came out and said, this is, you know, accidental drowning. [1:56:38] We don't think there's foul play. [1:56:40] Again, that is why we're doing what we're doing and why we're moving the way we are. [1:56:45] Because I sat there and asked them, please take this case as if this is your child. [1:56:54] You're a family member, whatever. [1:56:57] And they promised that they would. [1:56:59] But when you make statements like that straight out the gate, that's an issue. [1:57:04] We did meet with the DA. [1:57:07] She did promise, you know, transparency and all of this, you know, all of that. [1:57:12] However, damage has already been done because now that's the narrative that's being pushed [1:57:18] by the general public who, again, know nothing really, only what they're hearing from other people. [1:57:24] So in addition to that, it's all these things coming up. [1:57:28] And at the end of the day, like I said before, any parent that would be in this situation, [1:57:33] you would do anything, anything to find out what happened to your child. [1:57:38] And that is what we're here to do. [1:57:42] It is very important to note that this narrative, this suggestion that it was an accidental drowning, [1:57:57] nothing to see here, is troubling even if that's the case. [1:58:01] There were 300 to 400 people out on Horns Island. [1:58:07] You mean to tell me nobody saw anything, nobody can tell us anything about what happened to one of the few black people [1:58:18] that were out there on that island that day? [1:58:21] It just doesn't add up. [1:58:23] The fact that they're saying Nolan said that he would stay behind, [1:58:28] but yet an 18-year-old kid would not want his cell phone if he was going to stay behind. [1:58:33] The fact that, yeah, you have the young lady saying that he said he was going to get back on the boat with the boys, [1:58:43] and then the boys saying no, he said he was going to stay behind and talk to her. [1:58:49] If that was the case, don't you believe Nolan would have said, [1:58:53] give me my cell phone, I'm going to stay behind. [1:58:55] Give me my car keys, I'm going to stay behind. [1:58:58] It's not adding up. [1:58:59] And so we're going to keep fighting and digging until we get the answers, the transparency, the truth, [1:59:07] the accountability, and justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:11] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:16] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:20] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:23] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:24] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:26] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:29] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:31] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:33] Justice for Nolan Wells. [1:59:34] we're gonna have our religious affairs committee join us quickly so we can have [1:59:39] a quick word of prayer with the family and that will conclude our press [1:59:43] conference formally good morning it's a good morning in spite of all that we [2:00:02] have heard it's a good morning because we're here for justice I'm Reverend [2:00:08] Wendell Anthony from the Detroit branch and also remember the National Board of [2:00:12] Directors and part of the religious affairs committee joined by colleagues [2:00:16] who were here I'm gonna ask all of you if you would be so kind as to just link [2:00:22] arms just link arms so that we can link ourselves around this particular moment [2:00:31] and around this family there's an old African proverb that says those whom we [2:00:39] loved are only in the physical sense but their spirit continues to live on in the [2:00:45] will and determination of those whom they leave behind mr. and mrs. Wells I did [2:00:53] not know your son but I could tell from just looking at his photograph I can [2:01:01] feel the aura the joy that you talked about we all can experience and feel [2:01:09] that Ben Crump has chronicled the list of pain moments in our community by the [2:01:19] deceased by those who are now martyrs we have been dying since 1619 still seeking [2:01:31] justice pray with me oh Lord our Lord how very excellent is thy name in all the [2:01:44] earth we are here for but one reason to answer the question what does the Lord [2:01:52] require of us but to do justice to love mercy the even more humbly with our God [2:02:02] Lord God your people are here be seeking justice we're here for transparency we're [2:02:13] here for truth you who are the way the truth and the life we're here because of you [2:02:20] Lord God how long must we continue to pay evil a toll at the gateway towards [2:02:29] justice how long must we see our children lie bleeding in the streets in the [2:02:38] sand in the water and the asphalt pavements of this nation that we built even [2:02:48] on July the fourth a day that serves a lesson in mockery and dichotomy where we [2:02:58] talk about independence yet we are not independent from those who seek justice [2:03:04] help us Lord bless us right now bless this family cover this mother whose tears fall [2:03:16] down her cheeks cover this father as he remembers his son whom he taught and whom [2:03:23] he mentored to play in life but more importantly to play the game the way it [2:03:31] should be played in living Lord God we thank you so much we've gone down the [2:03:38] roads they lied on Martin they lied on Medgar on Malcolm but more importantly oh God they [2:03:47] lied on you you who know about lies we know that the truth shall eventually set us all free help us to [2:03:57] get the truth even in Mississippi oh Lord help us to get the truth for our children you know like we [2:04:05] know there are more black boys in school than are in jail we know oh God but there are more of us who [2:04:12] are striving for the benefit of life rather than the poison from living oh Lord how long will justice [2:04:20] continue to lift up her brow so that she can see who is standing before us so she can make a decision [2:04:28] that is not in our interest but in the interest of those who seem to be different from us help us Lord [2:04:35] don't we as a people bleed everybody else don't we as a people need comfort like everybody else don't we [2:04:44] as a people need justice like everybody else children else help the Lord has a problem we don't problem [2:05:01] America has a problem fix the problem in 200 years we still suffer the same oh God justice oh God fix [2:05:20] Mississippi dust us justice this is our prayer this is our plea as we seek that which you have the power to [2:05:45] forgive and that is justice the just shall live faith the just shall live as faith and oh Lord we fight fight [2:06:05] justice we're called according to his name for every good justice say amen of justice eyes justice bless you [2:06:33] President Johnson I want you to know and those who are here there are 12,000 people who are looking at [2:06:44] this press conference on YouTube that was 30 minutes ago there were 14,000 people who are looking at it [2:06:52] on the roots that was 30 minutes ago Ben Crump this ain't no secret the nation the nation is looking for justice [2:07:05] for media who would like a digital copy of the report you can look at Ben Crump calm and we should have a digital copy there and you can also contact [2:07:50] Sachs media which is on the press release