Rep. Jasmine Crockett Declares Nolan Wells Case Deserves More Scrutiny as She Claims Race 'Absolutely Played a Role' in Teenager's Death

Rep. Jasmine Crockett believes investigators should not rule out race as they continue looking into the death of Nolan Wells.

The Texas congresswoman argued there are too many unanswered questions surrounding the 18-year-old's death to dismiss the possibility that racial bias played a role in either what happened to Wells or how authorities have handled the investigation.solu

Speaking with TMZ, Crockett said Black Americans are naturally going to question whether race could have been a motivating factor, particularly given Mississippi's history.

"I think that, specifically as Black Americans in the United States right now, we are always going to question whether or not there is a racial motivation," she said. "But also, if you know the history of Mississippi... I think that you'd have to be blind not to question potentially what is happening."

Crockett pointed to the circumstances surrounding Wells' death, noting he was found deceased after spending time with white friends and allegedly without his cellphone or any communication with loved ones before he died.

"A blind man could see that there's something to investigate," she continued. "I want to applaud the legal team, Ben Crump and his team, as well as his parents, for not giving up and accepting 'no' as an answer."

Although Crockett acknowledged there are still few confirmed answers in the case, she insisted investigators should not dismiss race as a possible factor.

"We don't have any answers, but if you think that race is not something to look at, then you are not really trying to investigate," she said.

The congresswoman, who is also a civil rights attorney, admitted several details immediately stood out to her.

"I'm looking at the fact that these white kids deleted their social media accounts. It's not like they sat down and talked to law enforcement," Crockett explained.

She also questioned why Wells' cellphone allegedly had to be located later rather than immediately turned over to investigators.

During the interview, the host noted Wells' football coach had previously said he was unaware of any racial tension between Wells and the friends he was last seen with.

Crockett acknowledged there is no evidence proving race directly caused Wells' death but argued racial bias could still have influenced what happened afterward.

"I can tell you that race is absolutely playing a role," she said. "What role? Whether it had to do with his death, whether it had to do with the fact that maybe your friends left you to die... or your friends didn't care that maybe you did die."

Crockett also questioned whether authorities treated the case with the urgency it deserved.

"I do believe that there's a racial component, or if it's just in law enforcement not feeling as if Nolan Wells was worthy of an actual investigation, but instead decided that there was no foul play, seemingly with no evidence, without talking to any witnesses," Crockett claimed.

Still, she emphasized she was not drawing a definitive conclusion.

"I will not say that I know for sure... that race played a role in his death," she clarified.