Story perspectives

Ben Crump Urges Federal Review of Nolan Wells Death

8/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is urging a federal review of teen Nolan Wells’s death.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) General Counsel Kristen Clarke has joined Crump’s team to demand transparency.
An independent family-commissioned autopsy listed the cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.”
State officials say no evidence suggests foul play and have not released the official autopsy findings.

History

Historical Context

The 1991 videotaped beating of Rodney King sparked a federal civil-rights probe under President George H.W. Bush, leading to DOJ lawsuits, a $3.8 million judgment and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. That precedent now underpins civil-rights attorney Ben Crump and NAACP counsel Kristen Clarke’s 2024 request for a federal review of teen Nolan Wells’s death, whose autopsy listed the cause as “undetermined.”

1 of 2

Story summary

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is urging a federal review of teen Nolan Wells’s death.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) General Counsel Kristen Clarke has joined Crump’s team to demand transparency.
An independent family-commissioned autopsy listed the cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.”
State officials say no evidence suggests foul play and have not released the official autopsy findings.

1 / 2