E-Paper
Nolan Wells update: Friends say they regret going to Horn Island on July 4, ‘I wish we would have never…’
Nolan Wells’ friends have said they wish they had never gone to Horn Island on the Fourth of July, while also slamming the race narrative.
Nolan Wells’ friends have said they wish they had never gone to Horn Island on the Fourth of July. The friends said they believe Wells would still be alive if they had just stayed home.
TMZ shared clips from the group's sit-down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum and their attorney, J. Tyler Cox. During the conversation, Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour opened up about the tragedy and the allegations that followed.
Hudson said that every day, he thinks about what may have been done differently. "I wish we would have never went out,” he said.
While Hudson said Wells was like a brother to the group and slammed the race narrative, Pitalo stressed that their friendship was the exact opposite of racism. Seymour slammed the media, saying it should have allowed local officials to investigate before pushing theories.
The friends also spoke out about the theory that Wells was aboard their sinking boat – the Triton – when someone called a private towing service for help. They pointed to a video showing the boat during the call and said Wells is nowhere to be seen.
Also Read | Nolan Wells' grandfather speaks out amid investigation, ‘I saw and dealt with racism…’
Hudson and Pitalo questioned that if Wells was indeed dead on the boat, why would they even contact Sea Tow and the Coast Guard? Cox said that the fact that the group contacted authorities is one of the strongest signs they had nothing to hide, adding that their actions were those of "innocent men, not guilty men."
Wells, an Ocean Springs, Mississippi teen, was 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.
Nolan Wells’ friends allegedly being harassed
A GiveSendGo was launched by Husdon’s family to help his friends who are allegedly being targeted by “race baiters.”
“Since Nolan's death, Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, Morgan Seymour, and many others have been inundated with death threats, threats of violence, and defamation. They have been falsely and wrongly blamed by individuals online and in the media of either directly or indirectly having a hand in Nolan's death. Most of them could not even attend their own best friend's funeral,” the page reads.
Also Read | Ben Crump slams haters as Nolan Wells’ mom faces 1-star reviews on work profile, ‘No one should weaponize…’
The page accused Al Sharpton, Ben Crump, and others of continuing to “invent and spread false narratives and lies with no accountability.”
Tracetin Shepherd, Wells’ friend, previously told ABC and Rolling Stone that he and his friends were getting death threats amid the investigation. One friend even accused attorney Crump of preying on Wells' parents at a difficult time.
Shepherd and Jayvon Williams, two of Wells’ Black friends, told the media that people need to stop making his death about race.
