Family and supporters of Nolan Xavier Wells gathered in a Mississippi church Monday to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old, whose death following a July 4 boat trip with friends has captured national attention and prompted calls for an independent investigation.

The service began with a prayer from the Rev. Al Sharpton, followed by speeches from Wells’ parents, who described their son as a warm, gentle presence and role model to his younger siblings.

“He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued,” said Christine Wonsley, who wore a button with a photo of her son. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong.”

His father, Elmore Wonsley, recalled the hours the two spent watching football and running drills on the beach. “I nicknamed you ‘Mr. Cool Hands because it seemed like you were catching a touchdown every game,” the father said, trembling at times.

The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, was set to deliver a call for justice following a eulogy from Sharpton. Among those in attendance were the director Spike Lee and the former football player Terrell Owens. Actor and producer Tyler Perry helped pay for the funeral.

Wells’ death has captured national attention, galvanizing Black leaders and touching off fraught discussions of racial tension and mistrust of law enforcement in the Deep South.

The teenager, who was Black, had traveled by boat to Horn Island, a popular Fourth of July destination, with a group of friends from high school, all of whom were white. He did not return with his friends to the mainland that evening, officials said. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said Wells’ friends are cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing. He said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else.

But the still-unknown circumstances leading to Wells’ disappearance have fueled rampant online speculation, along with questions from his parents about why he was left behind.

Crump has said another witness reported Wells planned to leave on the boat with his friends, contradicting the sheriff’s statement. He also alleged that messages appeared to have been deleted from the phone, which was found with Wells’ friends, along with his keys.

The attorney, who is leading his own investigation into the death, said he would work alongside the local prosecutor to inspect the device. The prosecutor agreed last week to present the results of the investigation to a grand jury once it is completed, Crump said.

“Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything, everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role,” Crump said. “That is the lived experience as Black people in America.”

Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, played wide receiver on the football team at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi, and had aspirations of playing at a high-level Division I program.

“He was very sociable with everyone, didn’t meet a stranger,” his coach, Les George, told WAPT-TV. “He would pop up at my office and come sit on the couch just to hang out and talk.”

In a joint statement last week, members of the Congressional Black Caucus called for an independent and transparent investigation into Wells’ death, adding that “too many questions remain unanswered.”

“We hope the outpouring of concern and support from people across the country in recent days brings them some comfort in the days ahead,” they said.