Vancleave High wrestler killed in crash on MS Coast highway. ‘Our hearts are broken.’

Justin Mitchell
·1 min read

A family and many others in the Vancleave community are in mourning after a teenager died in a crash Sunday on Highway 57 in Jackson County.

Justin Bean, 18, was driving east on Highpoint Road around midnight when he crossed over onto the highway and hit a ditch, according to a report from WXXV-TV.

Mississippi Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the wreck, said Bean was driving a 2018 Volkswagen Passat and died from injuries he sustained in the wreck.

Tributes to Justin, who was on the wrestling team at Vancleave High, began pouring in on Facebook.

“He marched to the beat of his own drum, no matter how many sheets of music we gave him. Our hearts are broken,” his grandmother, who goes by Maw Bean on Facebook, posted Sunday.

Other schools posted about Justin’s athleticism in wrestling matches.

“He was a very tough wrestler at 182 (pounds) and we know he will be missed in your homes, school, and community,” North Pontotoc Wrestling posted on social media.

There was a balloon release and candlelight vigil in Justin’s honor Sunday night at Vancleave High.