NOBODY WOULD EVER HURT NOLAN..! – A CLOSE FRIEND OF 18-YEAR-OLD NOLAN WELLS IS BREAKING HIS SILENCE ABOUT WHAT HE SAW ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.
A friend of 18-year-old Nolan Wells is now speaking out about what he saw on the Fourth of July.
In an interview that aired Monday on Good Morning America, Tracestin Shepherd said that he and the other young people who were on the trip have been devastated by Wells’ death and have faced intense public scrutiny in the days since.
“I just know I lost my best friend,” Shepherd said.
Shepherd said he and Wells were among a tight circle of friends who had known each other since their freshman year at Ocean Springs High School.
Tracestin Shepherd, a friend of Wells, said he is waiting for the investigation to run its course before drawing conclusions.(WLOX)
He said Wells “was just somebody that you automatically just felt so comfortable to talk to” and they bonded through athletics.
“Nobody would ever hurt Nolan in our friend group. We would die for him. We would do everything in our power for that guy. If he needed anything, we would do it,” he said. “Nolan brought us all together.”
The interview comes as authorities continue investigating. Wells, 18, was found dead following a celebration on July 4.
His body was found in the water two days later.
Shepherd said he and his group of friends, which included Wells, had been drinking alcohol since the late morning after multiple boats, all containing friends, arrived on Horn Island for an outing that had been planned to be “one last hurrah” before returning to school or work after the holiday break, ABC News reported.
Shepherd said that the Wells remained on Horn Island after meeting a young woman earlier that day, while the others returned to the mainland by boat.
“They met that day, and it’s kind of one of those things,” Shepherd said. “He did come off that day that he really did like her, but that was the only time they ever hung out was at Horn Island on July 4.”
However, Wells’ family has questioned that account. During an interview on Good Morning America last week, his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, said they could not understand why their son would have voluntarily separated from his friends, saying he had always been taught to stay with the group.
They have also wondered what happened to Wells’ cellphone.
Christine told Good Morning America that his phone was recovered after a friend tracked it using an app, and its location history appeared inconsistent with what friends had reported seeing through Snapchat.
In Monday’s report, ABC News noted that investigators have requested the cellphone but have not yet received it from the family.
Shepherd told ABC that Wells had left his phone in a boat, along with many others, because he would be spending so much time in the ocean.
Shepherd’s uncle, who asked not to be named and was piloting one of the boats that day, said it is normal for people in the boating community to ignore their phones while on the water.
“We did no wrong here and we don’t understand how we’re getting so much hate behind us,” he said. “We all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted to see his life be taken so short.”
Shepherd addressed a viral video that investigators have been studying. Many worried the video showed Wells in a confrontation, but Shepherd said that was not the case.
“That’s the video I am referring to, and that’s me yelling,” Shepherd said.
Shepherd said that he hopes attention will return to remembering the “sweet” friend he lost.
“I think everybody needs to let the investigation continue and let the facts be shown,” Shepherd said. “And if the facts show that somebody harmed Nolan, I hope that there is justice brought. And if it was a tragic accident and somebody didn’t speak up, I still hope justice is brought.”
The results of both the independent and official autopsies are not yet complete.
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