{"id":3545,"date":"2026-07-14T13:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3545"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:36:34","slug":"nobody-would-ever-hurt-nolan-friend-of-nolan-wells-speaks-out-after-18-year-old-was-found-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3545","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nobody would ever hurt Nolan:\u2019 Friend of Nolan Wells speaks out after 18-year-old was found dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX\/Gray News) – A friend of 18-year-old Nolan Wells is now speaking out about what he saw on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n

Read more TUSD holding hiring event for new bus drivers<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019 death and have faced intense public scrutiny in the days since.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just know I lost my best friend,\u201d Shepherd said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He said Wells \u201cwas just somebody that you automatically just felt so comfortable to talk to\u201d and they bonded through athletics.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody 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,\u201d he said. \u201cNolan brought us all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interview comes as authorities continue investigating. Wells, 18, was found dead following a celebration on July 4.<\/p>\n

His body was found in the water two days later.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cone last hurrah\u201d before returning to school or work after the holiday break, ABC News reported.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey met that day, and it\u2019s kind of one of those things,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Wells\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Read more Man shot and killed by ICE in Maine was not the target of warrant, Sen. Angus King says<\/a><\/p>\n

They have also wondered what happened to Wells\u2019 cellphone.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In Monday\u2019s report, ABC News noted that investigators have requested the cellphone but have not yet received it from the family.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Shepherd\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did no wrong here and we don\u2019t understand how we\u2019re getting so much hate behind us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted to see his life be taken so short.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the video I am referring to, and that\u2019s me yelling,\u201d Shepherd said.<\/p>\n

Shepherd said that he hopes attention will return to remembering the \u201csweet\u201d friend he lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody needs to let the investigation continue and let the facts be shown,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cAnd 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\u2019t speak up, I still hope justice is brought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Sun and afternoon Storms continue !<\/a><\/p>\n

The results of both the independent and official autopsies are not yet complete.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A friend of 18-year-old Nolan Wells is now speaking out about what he saw on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Nobody would ever hurt Nolan:\u2019 Friend of Nolan Wells speaks out after 18-year-old was found dead - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3545\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Nobody would ever hurt Nolan:\u2019 Friend of Nolan Wells speaks out after 18-year-old was found dead - 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