Mississippi U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom says Nolan Wells’ case highlights need for trust in justice system
TheGrio...
The sitting district attorney says transparency is essential to rebuilding confidence between communities and law enforcement after the grand jury decision.
Scott Colom, the U.S. Senate Democratic nominee in Mississippi, is calling for greater transparency in the aftermath of a grand jury declining to issue an indictment in the investigation into the death of Nolan Wells.
“At some point there was a breakdown in trust between the family and law enforcement, and that distrust spread to the broader community. And the only way to combat that trust is transparency,” Colom, who is running to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in November’s midterm election, told theGrio.
The sitting district attorney in the 16th Judicial District of Mississippi says that while Nolan’s parents, Christine and Elmore Wells-Wonsley, may not have the answers or conclusions they wanted, there is still opportunity for justice should more evidence emerge.
“The way it’s supposed to work is after six months, you have more discretion to release information. I would love to see in six months what’s released,” said Colom, who said he has not personally read the grand jury report and would like to before drawing definitive conclusions.
Nolan’s parents expressed outrage after a Mississippi grand jury said on Tuesday that it found no evidence of wrongdoing in the 18-year-old’s death on Mississippi’s Horn Island.
His mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said they were not surprised by the outcome of the investigation into the mysterious July 4 weekend death, because of actions by the office of District Attorney Angel Myers-McIlrath that planted seeds of distrust.
“There was a narrative that was put out prematurely of accidental drowning, no foul play, only hours after his body had been found,” the grieving mother told NBC News. “We were not allowed to see him and identify him, and again, there were just so many factors that have played into how everything has unfolded and how it’s caused us to feel personally about where and how the investigation went.”
Colom said his “heart goes out to Nolan Wells’ family,” adding, “It had to be a tough day.” The Senate candidate said the district attorney and law enforcement in Jackson County have an obligation to be transparent with Nolan’s family and the broader public.
“The district attorney and law enforcement will have discretion in the months to come about what they release in regards to the investigation, and I think they should release as much as they legally can as far as what witnesses said. Of course, protecting the privacy of those witnesses [and] what forensic evidence indicated,” Colom urged.
The Democratic prosecutor explained, “There’s always, in law enforcement, this balance of trying to protect the integrity of the investigation, and in many cases, law enforcement can be hesitant to release information to the public. For me, I think we got to be smart in understanding that trust is the most important thing in our criminal justice system.”
Colom said that under Mississippi law, evidence can be re-presented if new information emerges. The Senate candidate and district attorney said that can come as a result of any civil litigation the Wells-Wonsley family may take in light of the grand jury decision.
In the meantime, Colom stressed the need for building trust between law enforcement and the community.
“Without trust, you can’t solve crime. You can’t get grand juries. You can’t get convictions. Trust is essential,” he told theGrio. “I would just strongly advise them that if they want a good criminal justice system, they need to be focused on building trust. Transparency helps do that.”
While there is no evidence that race or violence played a role in the death of Nolan Wells, the tragedy has ignited strong emotions and furor in a U.S. southern state where Black Americans were enslaved, subjugated, and lynched. Some have compared the teen’s death to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, whose Mississippi murder cold case was never solved.
Reflecting on the Wells and several incidents of Black Americans being found dead hanging from trees across the South, Colom told theGrio, “I think we’re in a moment where Mississippi’s got to try to decide what kind of state it’s going to be; what’s our future.” He continued, “That’s part of the reason I’m so excited about my campaign for United States Senate because it’s all about empowering people. Justice for everybody. The basic economic rights that people should have in a country, and understanding that Mississippi will only reach its potential together.”
Colom recalled a recent tragedy in Senatobia, Miss., in which a 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by law enforcement. In the aftermath, the police chief was fired over text messages of him repeatedly using the N-word.
“As long as you have that type of racist behavior…we’re not going to reach our potential as a state,” said Colom. “We’re going to have to realize that only when we see the common humanity in each other, understand that we’re not going to reach our potential unless we all have quality education, good jobs, good healthcare. That’s part of what I’m fighting for in this campaign. That is what I’m fighting for.”