Elijah Dominic Weatherspoon, an 18-year old Black Puerto Rican man, went missing near the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 25, 2020.
Three days later, his body was discovered on a sandbar near Sullivan’s Island by the Fire Rescue squad. The story gained national attention as reports pointed out that Weatherspoon, known to friends and family as Nicky, was the only Black man amongst a group of seven white friends who went on that boating trip. He was also an avid swimmer, and eye witness accounts of his death were inconsistent.
this is elijah weatherspoon. he went boating w 7 white people on june 25th and never returned home. his body was found june 28th. the 7 white people each have a different story, and the police and media aren’t very much involved. pic.twitter.com/rgUWFSYcAB
— mh (@irisinterlude) June 29, 2020
Two petitions have circulated the internet with over 40,000 signatures, requesting the investigation around his death to be reopened as many suspected foul play.
A local kid, Elijah Weatherspoon, was found dead after being missing since June 25th.
He went out on a boat with a group of people in the Mount Pleasant/Charleston, SC area and never returned.
None of the people on the boat have stories that make sense or match up.
— (@IAmMazlu) June 28, 2020
One petition created by Laura Harwell on behalf of Weatherspoon’s mother pointed out the following conflicting accounts:
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Weatherspoon and another peer flipped off the boat, but a “Good Samaritan” was only able to save one of them;
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While the boat was docked, Weatherspoon jumped into the water and was unable to resurface due to his inability to swim;
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Another peer attempted to save Weatherspoon, but he panicked and later drowned.
I’m in a group called moms of black sons on FB.. one of the moms posted that her son had went missing June 25th, well they found his body & everyone who was on the boat is trying to cover up what happened. his name was ELIJAH WEATHERSPOON & he deserves justice. #BlackLivesMattter pic.twitter.com/twTxA7ZqUH
— chay ️ (@chalaysahhart) June 28, 2020
Harwell stated that, despite the accounts, Weatherspoon was an experienced swimmer.
Elijah Weatherspoon went missing on June 25th 2020 in Charleston, SC after getting on a boat with seven yt “friends” who all have conflicting stories and timelines.
There is little to no media coverage on this story so we have to in order to get #JUSTICEFORELIJAH pic.twitter.com/hb20c72CpQ
— Dre Young (@dyungin) June 28, 2020
“We want answers,” Harwell wrote. “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 an accident,” she continued. “Nicky deserves justice, and so does his family.”