Elijah Weatherspoon Investigation

Answers are needed for the family of Elijah Weatherspoon. Elijah, an 18-year-old South Carolina teen died under suspicious circumstances during a boating trip with friends. Elijah was the only black person onboard a boat on June 25 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina when he suddenly went missing. His body was found June 28th, on a sandbar off of SC’s Sullivan’s Island. People believe foul play was involved and rightfully so.

Mount Pleasant police were called around 11 p.m. to respond to a report of a young man who “entered into the water from boat” and never resurfaced. Elijah’s friends and family report that the boaters gave conflicting stories about what happened to Elijah. There are reports that he fell and hit his head on a rock, that he fell in the water and a friend tried to save him but failed, that he jumped and refused to get back on the boat before drowning and more.

With all the conflicting stories afoot, Elijah’s loved ones are calling for a thorough investigation.

“The events leading up to his death are unclear and are being treated as if he was just another black man who couldn’t swim and drowned. When, in fact, he can swim. The people who were with him have stories that do not match up,” Lauren Jackson, a friend of Elijah’s family who launched a Change.Org petition wrote.

A separate petition alleges that the Mount Pleasant Police Department has refused to investigate Elijah’s death in part because he’s black. The petition alleges that a police officer questioned what Elijah was doing on “this part of town.”

“There have being [sic]several conflicting stories given to the police on what happened. Some say he decided to flip off the boat, along with another, and a “Good Samaritan” could only save one, but not Nicky, another story was the boat was docked and Nicky jumped off but couldn’t come back up due to his inability to swim, (He was an experienced swimmer) and another story was he panicked while another tried to help him and sank.

We want answers. The news refuses to seek the truth and have stopped reporting, the Mount Pleasant Police Department refuse to investigate despite the numerous evidence that supports it wasn’t just a boating accident. This is clearly more than a accident. Nicky deserves justice, and so does his family. The family believes that because Nicky was black and everyone else was white they are not trying to investigate. An officer questioned as to “Why was Nicky on this side of town (Mount Pleasant) “Why wasn’t he on his side of town”. Regardless of what side of town he was on, a crime was committed and we seek equal justice.”

There’s lots more to unpack about this story, like family members alleging that Elijah’s fellow boaters waited an HOUR before calling 911 when he went under and others claiming that a woman on the boat got a mysterious injury before Elijah went missing.

Attorneys with the Buckley Law Group and the Pizarro Law Firm have been retained by Elijah’s family and they’re calling for” transparency and thoroughness in the investigation.”

“On their behalf, attorneys will formally request the complete investigative files and other records from the SCDNR, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Sullivan’s Island Police Department and other agencies involved,” reports The Post And Courier. 

#JusticeForElijahWeatherspoon—-what do YOU think happened in this case???